Harry Potter and the Digimon Frontier
by Gemini Star01
Summary: For five years, the kids of Frontier have been training as Japanese wizards. Now they've got the chance to study abroad, in England of all places. But there are some odd things happening. Digimon...at Hogwarts? COMPLETE! Yatta!
1. Magic of the Rising Sun

For a little while, this story is just something I've been playing around with. Because of the encourgement from reviewers of Life Is But A Dream, I decided to post it. The title is lame...very lame...but I've developed an entire culture of Japanese wizardry, so this should turn out interesting in one way or another.

This may seam rather strange to us English-speaking types, seeing as both England and America go to school from about September to June, or something along those basic lines. The DigiDestined, that is, Japan, typically go to school from April to March…yes, in that order…with some various vacations in-between. Also, while American school goes from about 8 to 4, with weekends off, Japanese schools go from 8 to 2, with a half-day on Saturdays. Sometimes they do have holidays. For the sake of explanation and cultural differences, this beginning is not one of those times.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or Harry Potter. I just like writing weird, fun things.

Harry Potter and the Digimon Frontier

Chapter 1: Magic of the Rising Sun

"Takuya!"

The brown-haired boy gave an annoyed groan, pulling his blankets over his head and burying his face in his pillow. It couldn't be 7:30…not yet…Besides, he was feeling sick, he didn't really want to…

"Takuya Kanbara!" the blanket was suddenly yanked away, and the pillow lifted up to shine bright sunlight in his eyes. He blinked up at his mother, standing over him with a frown set on her lips. "If you don't get up now, young man, you're going to be late to school."

"Okay, okay…" he muttered, sitting up. "I'm awake. Happy?"

"Almost." she tossed a shirt at him, followed by navy-blue slacks and a his black-lined navy school jacket. "Get dressed and come down for breakfast. You've got about ten minutes before it's time to go."

With that, she left. Takuya mumbled a bit, pulling on his clothes in a semi-neat manner, then grabbing his hat-and-goggles from off the bed-stand. It clashed horribly with his uniform, and he wasn't allowed to wear it anyway, so he stuffed it in his bag along with a change of clothes for after-school.

Then, from the same spot on his bed-stand, he snatched up his copy of _The Standard Spell-Scroll _and unrolled it. Hopefully, he'd gotten all the information he'd needed for Kenkyo-sensei's essay…

He picked up his wand from the desk and tapped the edge of the parchment, muttering the word, "_Katazukeru._" under his breath.

The black ink quickly un-wrote itself, clearing the heavy page of all information. Takuya quickly rolled it back up, sticking it back into his bag alongside his two sets of homework. He jammed his wand deep inside the bag before hurrying out the door and down the stairs for breakfast.

. . . . . .

School went as usual that day, just the way they wanted it to.

After all, the Japanese prided themselves on their wonderful education system. Over 99% of the population could read, no small feat indeed, and compatition for the top high schools and universities was fierce. Many students attended cram school late after class had ended, trying to get ahead.

No muggle would even think to suspect that some of these simple, average preps school run by the temple priests was actually training the new generations of Japanese Wizards.

The school that taught the wizards in the Shibuya-ku area of Tokyo was rather small, barely thirty students strong. But those thirty student were very powerful in their own right, each highly skilled in their techniques. They were some of the best Japan had to offer.

These students included, by some odd twist of fate, the six children who had once traveled to the Digital World four years before.

"Come on, Takuya, it isn't that hard." Izumi demonstrated the wand movement once more, pointing at the brick. "One, two…_Ukaberu._"

The brick floated slowly into the air, stopping to hover several feet off the ground. She flicked her wand once, ending the spell, and it dropped to the ground.

Takuya frowned, waving his wand at the math textbook in front of him. "_Ukaberu._" he muttered. The book shook a bit, lifted a few centimeters into air, then hit the ground with a _thump_.

"Aw, man…" Takuya groaned, leaning back. "This one's tough…"

"You're just haven't gotten a hang of it yet." Izumi said encouragingly, checking her own copy of _The Standard Spell Scroll_ for reference. She ran her wand along the side of the parchment, and the next page wrote itself over the fading words of the old one. "A bit more and we'll be able to move on."

"Yeah, come on, goggle-head." Kouji smirked, levitating his book bag with a bored air. "You're holding us up."

Takuya glared at his friend, who smirked good-naturedly and let the bag drop. A few feet away, Junpei and some other seniors were working at Transfiguring tin cans into tomatoes. A trickle of sweat ran down the edge of his forehead as he pressed the glowing wand-tip against his can, which had turned all red with rounded edges. On their other side of him, Tomoki was working with another 14-year-old, each practicing their _Tanoshii_ Cheering Charms on each other with big smiles on their face.

Kouichi was clear on the other side of the huge room, separated from the rest of the group with about six other kids, of all ages. They were knelling on the floor, working on a low, wide table. Kouichi was alternating between a black-ink calligraphy brush, and tapping the parchment with his wand.

"Looks like the Yin students are doing sealing scrolls again." Takuya mentioned off-hand.

Kouji nodded. "Kouichi should be happy, he's needed to work on that."

Izumi glanced over at their sixth member, working carefully over his scrolls. "It still seams sort've mean to make them work on their own like that…"

"Aw, c'mon, Izumi." Takuya grinned. "Hakaishi-sensei takes good care of the Yin. You know how he is, he treats them more like baby chicks than students."

Izumi smiled and looked like she would agree, but she was interrupted by the sudden entry of several large, brown owls. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up in surprise.

"Mail…?" Tomoki wondered out loud.

"At this time of day?" Junpei finished.

Six tawny brown owls flew around the room a moment, before swooping down to drop letters in their respective owner's laps. To their surprise, Kouji, Takuya and Izumi each received one, the owls landing momentarily on their various levitating objects. Another at Junpei's feet, knocking over his tomato-can and spilling juice everywhere, and another nearly bowled Tomoki over in mid-cheering charm. Kouichi looked up as the last bird landed on the table, knocking his ink jar over into his lap.

Takuya picked up his letter, and eyebrow rising in confusion as he read the kakana address in bright, green ink:

Mr. T. Kanbara

Third Group From The Door

Shibuya Shrine

Tokyo, Japan

He glanced at the other's notes. They all read the same thing…_Ms. I. Orimoto… Mr. K. Minamoto…_He was certain that Kouichi and the others had the same basic address.

Kouji turned his letter over, finding a strange seal holding the parchment shut. It was a large, decorated roman letter, and H, surrounded by a badger, a raven, a lion and a snake. It was a western-style crest. "What the heck are these…?"

Kenkyo-sensei cleared her throat and stood. "Those of you who received the letters, please come with me and Hakaishi-sensei." she announced. "The rest of you continue working…Matsa, you're in charge."

A tall senior girl nodded in response to the order. Takuya and Kouji stood up first, followed quickly by Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki. Hakaishi-sensei, a fifty-something man with a long, salt-and-pepper ponytail, came over a put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder. A quick _Soji Suru _charm to get rid of the ink, and they followed after.

Kenkyo was an older woman, a tall woman, at least seventy years old, with long, gray hair that she kept tied in a bun and friendly, blue eyes. She led them back into a separate room, shutting the sliding-paper door to separate them from the others. There were a few cushions on the floor, and she motioned for them to sit.

She turned to them, a slight grin on her face. "I see you've all gotten your letters." she said, unnecessarily.

Kouichi turned his over in his hands. It was unfamiliar, this style of writing…he could read it, but he could also tell that whoever had written wasn't fluent in kakana. And the parchment was different, too, it was heavier than the rice-paper they used.

"I'm sure you're itching to know." the teacher smiled. "Go ahead and open them."

The group glanced at each other a moment, then slipped their fingers under the edges of the envelopes and unfolded the letters, all of which read something like this:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Kimura,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the newly-reinstated exchange program at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland. Please find enclosed all the necessary books and equipment. Your current teachers have been informed and will be available to help you.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

…This was greeted by mixed reactions.

"Albus Dumbledore?" Izumi breathed. "_The_ Albus Dumbledore? They say he's the greatest wizard alive!"

"What kind of name is Hogwarts, anyway?" Takuya muttered, squinting at the name in curiosity.

"I think my pen-pal goes there…" Junpei said. "It's supposed to be the best wizarding school in Britain…"

"A whole wizarding school? Like, all day long?" Tomoki sounded excited. "Does this mean we're going?"

"But…It's in _Igirisu_…In Britain." Kouichi, on the other hand, sounded rather worried. "Hakaishi-sensei, I thought you said that Britain was Motarasu-no-konton'sbase of operation."

Everyone stopped talking. They all had heard of the legendary corrupt wizard, the one known as _Motarasu-no-konton_…'Bringer of Chaos'…and the pain and fear he had brought to the wizarding world. Kouichi's mother, a pure-blood wizard herself, refused to speak even of the nickname, as though in fear of drawing his attention. And just in the last few months, reports had been coming in all the wizarding messages and newspapers with reports that he had been born again…

Kenkyo-sensei cleared her throat. "It is true that Motarasu-no-konton has regained some of his former power, and that his basis of followers are located in the Western-European area. But that is also the reason we are sending you there."

The kids blinked. "I don't get it." Kouji said slowly.

It was Hakaishi-sensei who spoke this time. "With this threat on the rise, there is a new need to re-establish diplomatic relations with the wizarding cultures of the world." he said calmly. "The Western Wizards, especially, have been very closed-off from outside contact. To establish a true connection between our cultures, it is our future we must trade."

"This is the first time in almost a hundred years the Hogwarts has accepted exchange students, from any country." Kenkyo continued. "Our Council and the Western Ministry have agreed that an exchange program of up-and-coming young wizards may fuel the connection our societies need. You six are some of the best we have, in each of your own skills. It's important that you establish this contact…sort've like our ambassadors to this foreign land. Will you agree to it?"

The six looked at each other a moment, then a grin spread over Takuya's face. "No more Muggle-school?" he asked. Kenkyo-sensei nodded. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Tomoki cheered.

"Sounds like fun to me." Izumi agreed. "Besides, they say Dumbledore-san was the only one Motarasu-no-konton was afraid of. I bet this school is the safest place to be!"

"If you guys are all going, I'm coming along." Junpei said, trying to sound important. "Somebody's got to keep you kids outta trouble."

"Riiight…"

Kouji looked over at his brother, who was re-reading the letter carefully. "What do you think, Nii-san?" he asked. "Should we do it?"

Kouichi looked up and smiled. "It sounds like a great opportunity." he said. "I'm not going to miss out."

Kouji grinned. "Okay then, it's settled. We're going."

Kenkyo and Hakaishi glanced at each other with secretive smiles as the kids started talking excitedly. There was another reason they were sending this particular group…They were already extremely close friends, closer than most people ever got in their lifetimes. They knew how to work as a team.

And they would need that teamwork, in the times to come…

TBC…

As a note: The spells used by the Japanese wizards are, of course, in Japanese, just as the English wizards use Latin terms. They mean the same thing, when you get right to the root of it.

Also, for those of you who don't like OCs, don't worry. Kenkyo and Hakaishi-senseis are going to be the only originals in this story, and then they're only to get these guys semi-settled into the Western Culture. Yes, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be from the Harry Potter books. I dare you all to guess who! Ciao for now…**GS**


	2. Midnight on Privet Drive

****

Allow me to point out: J.K. Rowling has never…and I mean, never…mentioned a current year in any of her books. I honestly don't understand why people say Harry's school years are from 1991-1998, as I've never seen anything and couldn't find any info on Ms. Rowling's official site. If you look at it, she's very careful never to mention any major event in the Muggle world, or even computers and any other sort of electronics that has come out since 1994 _(Harry told Sirius that Dudley chucked his PlayStation out the window)_ For all we know, the first book could have started in 2001, or later. At least, that's my excuse. Keep your mind open. **:**)

__

I'm not going to explain everything about the DigiDestined and their involvement with the Japanese wizards all at once. If you want the full story, you're going to have to read_ the full story…that's how the books work too, if you pay attention._

Sometimes, this is a bit confusing…but just remember that, while England is on Greenwich Mean Time, Japan is on GMT 9. So, while Harry is awake at midnight, for Kouichi it's 9 in the morning…Also, this chapter's a bit of an explanation-filler, but it's got stuff that'll be important to the plot, so don't skip. Suffer through the boredom, it took me a week to write this…

__

P.S. - If anyone has a copy of Quidditch Through The Ages handy, will you please send me the section on the Japanese interest in the sport? (it's about a paragraph long) I've lost my copy, can't find it in a bookshop, and I need the info…

****

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

Chapter 2: Midnight At Privet Drive

Harry Potter was having an…interesting summer.

That wasn't to say that it was enjoyable, because it wasn't, but it was interesting.

Of course, he'd so far spent most of it lying on the bed in his small bedroom, with the door bolted locked from the outside. This was both 'punishment' from Uncle Vernon, who was still sore about the dementor-incident last summer, and a self-imposed, much-needed exile from people in the world.

He wasn't going to lie, the first few weeks he'd still been more than a little upset about Sirius. Mrs. Weasly and the others in the Order had given his godfather a proper sending-off, with a small memorial at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He couldn't have been there to see it, but neither had Ron, or Hermione, or Ginny, so he didn't feel quite as left out.

Eventually, though, even that pain died down to a mild numbness of the heart, and he'd begun to grow a bit anxious with wizarding current events.

He'd been reading the _Daily Prophet_ more thoroughly this year, combing through it for the occasional useful article on Voldemort. It had, as usual, been full of panicked letters, claiming to have seen the Dark Lord on their street corner or in a dark alley, and of somewhat-interesting advice on identifying and dealing with Dark Wizards. But there had been no reports of disappearances or Death Eater sightings, although it did mention on an after-thought that Lucius Malfoy had managed to bargain his way out of Azkaban sometime in early June.

Big surprise.

But the lack of activity coming from Voldemort was worrying him somewhat. The Order had figured that, once his rebirth was revealed, Voldemort would lie low somewhat to try and throw off suspicion. That seamed to be about right, but it still bothered him…

Harry glanced up from the most recent copy of _The Prophet_, which he was reading by means of a lamp very late at night, to glance at the alarm clock on his bed stand. It was 11:48. In just twelve minutes, he'd be sixteen.

He wondered momentarily why it was that, for the past several years, he seamed to be awake at midnight the eve of his birthday. Homework, mostly, though now he could do that by daylight. He pondered it a moment, then pushed it from his mind.

He got up and crossed to the window, opening it wide to the crisp, warm summer air. It was a full moon, he noted, though Lupin probably wasn't enjoying it. But it was a rather nice sight, the mixture of pale white moonlight and the dull orange of the street lamps…the shadows their combination threw gave you the odd impression that something down there was moving.

…After a few moments of watching it, he realized that something down there _was_ moving.

It was clomping down the center of Privet Drive, the sound of hooves clink-clanking against the pavement. The way it was shaped, it looked almost like a centaur… But that was impossible, no centaur would be stupid enough to prance into Muggle Surry. Besides, that cloak-thing it was wrapped in hid its full shape…you couldn't tell one way or the other what it could be.

Harry stiffened, his whole body going rigid and his hand reaching out for his wand. Whatever that thing was, it was definitely magical, and if the Dementors were any example, it could be working for Voldemort. And even if it wasn't, it could still be dangerous. It could still attack the Muggles. It could still hurt someone. It could still be…

Gone?

Harry blinked, rubbing his eyes. He _had_ seen something…He was sure he had. And just a moment ago, he'd see it fade into the night…simply vanish. Like it had never been.

Harry closed the window, going back to lie on his bed. He mentally went through all the various Care of Magical Creatures textbooks and information that he'd gained over his past five years at Hogwarts, and came up with only one creature who could make itself invisible…the Demiguise, but it was more like an ape and human-sized. And only the Phoenix and the Diricawl could do anything in the way of Apparting, they were both birds. So what could it be…?

He got back up and locked the window, just in case.

****

. . . . . .

At the same time, roughly fifteen-thousand, twenty-eight kilometers away, Kouichi Kimura paced nervously through the kitchen of his mother's home, waiting for the tea kettle to boil.

July 31st…July 31st…This was the _last day_ he could get his permission slip for the exchange program turned in to Kenkyo-sensei. It'd been almost two weeks since they'd received the letters…_Why_ hadn't he gotten it signed?

It wasn't that he didn't want to go…Really, he wanted to very badly. A whole school year among other wizards, with his friends and brother 24/7, learning the reclusive, Western style of magic. That wasn't the problem…the problem was Motarasu-no-konton.

Takuya, Junpei and Tomoki had it easy, their parents were all muggles, so they didn't know about him. Kouji, too, simply told their father that he was going to an exchange program for school…not that he mentioned the wizarding factor, but that was beside the point. Even Izumi had gotten it signed, her father was a wizard as well, and agreed with Hakaishi-sensei about diplomatic relations. But his mother…

His mother was from a long, honorable wizarding family, so she knew all about Motarasu-no-konton, and she didn't give a damn about diplomatic relations. She'd told he many times before, all she cared about was his safety…

His thoughts were interrupted by the teapot's high-pitched shriek of a whistle, cracking through his thoughts. He hurried over and poured it into the cups he'd prepared for them. The fresh smell of green tea and magically-sweetened water nettles filled the room with the steam.

"Kouichi, dear?" his mother called, appearing at the door. She was already dressed for work, hair still damp from the shower. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, mother." he sighed, setting the pot down on a cool burner. "Everything's fine. I've got your tea ready."

"Oh, thank you dear." she smiled, taking the cup from him. She sipped it quietly, a smile on her face. "It tastes wonderful. Is it the mixture from Ryokucha-san?"

"Yes." Kouichi nodded, sitting across from her at the kitchen table. "He threw in some extra nettles for us, since he knows you like them and they're supposed to be good for your health."

"Such a sweet man." his mother agreed. "He always supplied all the Chilling-Crest potions I could ever need when you got fevers as a child."

Kouichi smiled, just a bit. Ryokucha, the grocer who lived down the street, was also the local wizarding apothecary. It was the standard for Japanese Wizards: A normal, Muggle job on the surface, their wizarding duties hidden behind it.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He was trying to keep himself from getting this done…

"Um, mother?" he said slowly. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

She stopped, finishing her sip and setting the cup down in front of her. "Yes, dear? What is it?"

Kouichi gulped again, nervously shifting in his seat. He took the folded piece of parchment out of his pocket and slid it to her across the table. "I…was hoping you could sign something…" he muttered quietly.

His mother raised an interested eyebrow, unfolding the thick page and scanning her eyes over it. For several minutes, it was silent. Then she looked up with a slow gasp. "Oh…Kouichi…"

Kouichi looked up, expecting fear…disappointment…maybe even panic. But her face was filled with a wide, happy smile, eyes filling with tears. She moved the tea to the side, reaching across the table to take his hands.

"Kouichi, this is wonderful!" she sighed. "After what Hakaishi-sensei said about your accident, I was afraid…I thought you'd never be able to use your magic to its full potential. But Hogwarts! It's the greatest wizarding school in the world…Oh, Kouichi, this is so fantastic…"

Kouichi stared at her, momentarily forgetting how to work his mouth. "So…Can I go?" he asked, in a state of shock.

She tightened her grip. "I want to say no…" she said quietly. "Motarasu-no-konton…He's returned to England…It's so dangerous…"

She released, looking into his eyes with a smile on her gentle face. "But who am I to let my fears keep you from pursuing this kind of opportunity? This is something you shouldn't miss."

She pulled out her own wand from her bag, conjuring up a long quill from thin air. She slid the form over to her, pausing over the line to will her consent.

"If I sign this, you have to promise me one thing, Kouichi." he looked up, expectant. "Promise me you won't get yourself into any unnecessary danger, all right?"

Kouichi blinked. "Unnecessary…?"

She smiled. "Just promise me you won't do anything the teachers tell you not too. Okay?"

He nodded, smiling as well. "Yes, mother."

"Good." a quick motion and her graceful signature appear on the page, as well as the accompanying permission form for Hogsmeade trips. She folded them up, placing them inside an envelope. "Better hurry and get these in to Kenkyo-sensei."

Kouichi nodded again, kissing her on the cheek and hurrying down the street toward Shibuya Shrine.

It was 11:18 AM, according to his bedside clock. So far, Harry was having a rather good birthday, all things considered. Aunt Petunia had slipped some bread and water under the flap in his door, but they lay untouched.

Harry could see it quite clearly from his place on the bed, a small pile of presents stacked artfully on the end. The morning's sunlight had announced the arrival of several owls. A grand total of seven, to be exact, two of them lugging the same box.

The double-load had been from Fred and George. Apparently, business was booming for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and they'd sent him a full Deflagration Deluxe of Wildfire Wizz-Bangs. The other owls were from various other friends, all from the Order and mostly from the Weasleys.

Pigwidgeon had arrived with Ron's gift, a box the size of a suitcase stuffed full of Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, while Errol had appeared with a box full of Mrs. Weasley's best mince pies. Hedwig had disappeared for three days, returning with Hermione's present of a large book with broomsticks and snitches zooming over its navy-blue cover. Inside were page after page of intricate Quidditch plans and technique demonstrations that moved when he asked them to. This was lying open on his pillow, repeating a beautifully drawn example of the Wronski Feint, the witch and wizard pair doing it taking turns being bludgeoned on the ground.

The last two were the standard start-of-the-term owl from Hogwarts, and a package from Tonks. Harry was surprised to receive a package from the Order's young Metamorphmagus, but it was a rather pleasing feeling to know she was thinking of him. The gift itself was fabulous…A specially-made Wizarding Disguise Kit, including a jacket that changed size, color and style with the press of a button, a wig which had hair that grew and changed color, and a bottle of make-up that modified itself depending on it's users wishes. The guarantee on the case claimed that it could _'Mimic Anything and Anyone With A Few Easy Moves'_.

Harry picked up the wig, brushing the middle seams on the inside. The hair shimmered from color to color and changed length as he moved along them. A certain shade of brown with an edge of curl looked like Hermione's, while short and red belonged on Ron's head. And this blonde was slick and greasy enough to belong to Malfoy…

Harry smirked at the wig, turning Malfoy's blonde to a disgusting-looking green, which was rather satisfactory, then set it back into the case and reached for the letter that had come with Ron's present.

_BANG! BANG! _Two loud knocks broke his concentration. He groaned and stood, going to open the door. "Be quiet." he hissed to Pigwidgeon, tossing a sheet over the cage the two owls sat in.

The sound of locks being removed echoed about, and the door was opened just a crack. There were two chain-locks still attached from the outside, both above and below Uncle Vernon's fat eye as it peaked in.

"What's all the racket it there?" he snapped.

"Nothing, Uncle Vernon." Harry shrugged. "Just…cleaning up."

His uncle let out a low growl that belonged in the throat of some jungle wildcat. "Keep it quiet." he sneered, and slammed the door shut.

Harry sighed as the noise of locks being redone echoed through the wooden door. He went back to the bed and plopped down, switching the Quidditch book from the Wronski Feint to a diagram on the Porskoff Ploy, a move for Chasers. He retrieved Ron's letter again, smiling as he reread it:

__

Harry,

Happy birthday! It's been a madhouse around here…Since we no longer have the Black's permission to stay at Grimmauld Place, the whole Order's practically relocated to our kitchen. You should see it, Dad had to enlarge the dinning room three times last night to fit everyone in. It's been absolutely crazy!

Speaking of crazy…I think something's going on at Hogwarts again. Dad and Tonks keep giving each other these secretive looks, like they know something we don't, and Tonks is running around like a regular loony bird…and I mean more so than usual. I've asked Mum about it, but she keeps giving me these smug smiles and saying stuff like 'Only time will tell'. Bloody hell, why can't they ever just tell us what's going on, instead of keeping all these secrets?

By the way, I hope you can get your stuff packed quick. Mum's coming down next week to pick you up, and we've gotten permission from everyone up to Dumbledore for you to stay at the Burrow the rest of the summer! We know the Muggles treat you awful, but don't worry, Mum'll have you in and out of there before you can think about it. And the Muggles won't notice a thing, she doesn't want a big scene like the last time we came to pick you up.

Happy Birthday again, and see you in a week!

Ron

Harry smiled, tucking the letter back in its envelope, and turned to flip back through his new book. Only a few more days, and this 'interesting' summer was as good as over.

**__**

TBC…


	3. Taking a Few Trips

THANK YOU - To Viewtiful John, for sending me the information on Japanese Quidditch!

To answer a question: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Takuya, Kouji, Izumi and Kouichi are in 6th year, Tommy is in 4th, and Junpei is in 7th year.

I'm trying to give all the Digi-People and the Wizards a fair share of page-time, but it may be hard…especially since I can't write Ron or Junpei to save my life. So just hold on for a while, and it should even out in the end…

Oh, and no one has yet guessed the true identify of the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher! I'll give you hint: They have been in the books before, but never as a teacher. It won't be reveled for a while, so keep guessing! I may have a prize for the winner!

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I just like writing this stuff.

****

Chapter 3: Taking A Few Trips

Mrs. Weasly was late. Really late.

Of course, Harry really couldn't tell, seeing as Ron hadn't given a specific time in his letter, nor in the note that followed his quick reply. But 9:30 at night did seam a tad late for her to be picking him up.

He sat on his fully-packed trunk, in his still-locked bedroom, waiting patiently. He hadn't seen any reason to tell the Dursleys he was leaving, they really wouldn't care if he disappeared three weeks early. He was now starting to wonder if he'd gotten the date wrong…maybe Mrs. Weasly wasn't coming at all…

There was a shrieking sound from somewhere outside. He snapped his head around, but saw nothing directly outside his window. He stood up, getting of his locked trunk to put a hand against the window. The glass was just cooling off from the humid night air…but there was nothing in sight.

He turned back towards the trunk to sit and wait some more, when suddenly a tongue of flame appeared in the center of the room.

Harry leapt backwards, crying out in surprise, and nearly knocked over Hedwig's cage in his haste to get out of the way. The snowy owl let out a reproachful hoot, obviously startled as well as the fire rose to the height of a human…

And then folded away to reveal Mrs. Molly Weasly, standing calmly in the center of the room with a rather large, rather beautiful red-and-gold bird perched on her shoulder.

"Ah…here we are." she sighed, looking around the room. "Nice work, Fawkes."

Harry gaped at her, open-mouthed. "M-Mrs. Weasley?"

The woman turned to him, a pleasant smile on her face amongst the burning red hair. "Hello, Harry. Good to see you. I trust you're all packed?"

He nodded dumbly, standing up to pulled the trunk over. His eyes never left the bird. "Is that…Fawkes?"

"Of course." the woman smiled, running a hand down the bird's back. "Dumbledore lent him to us to come get you. He agreed it was the safest way for you to travel, not being able to Aparate and all…Of course, it took a while for the owl to get to him, what with all the arrangements…"

Ron's words about something happening at Hogwarts rang again in Harry's mind. "What arrangements?" he immediately asked.

"Never you mind." Darn. Mrs. Weasley never missed a beat.

There was a tremendous bang at the door. "WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?!" his Uncle roared.

Mrs. Weasley clicked her tongue as the sound of locks being thrown open echoed through the wood. "Better hurry, Harry, before that great lot of a muggle gets in here. I'll take Hedwig…"

She gripped the top of the owl's cage with her right hand, keeping Fawkes balanced on her left shoulder. "Get a good hold on your trunk now, Harry." Harry gripped the handle tight, pulling it over. "There we go. Now just grab on to Fawkes's leg…"

Harry reached up and grabbed the scaly appendage, just as the door was flung open. For a moment, he got a glimpse of Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley standing aghast, then Fawkes let out a great cry and the room disappeared in a swirl of flame.

For a moment, the only thing around him was flames. He gripped Fawkes tightly with one hand, his trunk with the other. Then the fire cleared, revealing the familiar living room in the middle of the Burrow.

Harry blinked, slightly confused, before being faced by Ron's smiling, freckly face. "Hey Harry." he said cheerily. "Having a good summer?"

****

. . . . . .

After three excruciating weeks of waiting, it was the day of departure had finally arrived.

The plan was to leave four days before the start of the term, on August 28th. It was a Sunday, so school was out, it was easier to pull off for the six transfers to change location.

At the moment, they were gathered in the courtyard of Shibuya shrine, each armed with a trunk and a back-pack, talking excitedly about the journey ahead.

"How do you think they're gonna get us there?" Izumi asked, fingering the silver kanji on the handle of her treasured Inazuma 300 racing broom. "Think we'll fly?"

"Maybe." Junpei nodded. "But I doubt that a broom'll carry us all the way to England. You'd better save that thing for Quidditch, Izumi."

"That's what I'm looking forward to!" Takuya exclaimed, punching the air from his perch on the edge of his trunk. "A real Quidditch team, like the Toyohashi Tengu! It won't be anything like our practice games, hiding in the woods and stuff…"

Kouichi was flipping through a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, _running his finger down the pages periodically in interest. "It was nice of them to send our spell books in Katakana." he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper, but carrying across the room. "I don't know about you guys, but my English is only so-so."

The group stopped at that comment. Obviously, the twins were the only ones who had thought about it at all.

Tomoki shifted nervously on top of his trunk. "At least you know some. I don't know any English at all."

"Well…It's a magic school, isn't it?" Takuya muttered. "I'm sure there's some way we can learn…"

"Of course there is."

All six of the students jumped a foot, except for Kouji, who had been facing in the direction of the door and knew that their senseis had entered from behind them. Kenkyo-sensei was the one who had spoken, a kind smile on her face and a large wooden box in her hands. Hakaishi-sensei was behind her, empty-handed.

"Kenkyo-sensei…" Izumi sighed, putting a hand over her heart to still the beating a bit. "What do you mean?"

The teacher smiled, opening the box and holding it out so that they could see the contents. Several small, blue-and-brown devices lay nestled in a red pillow. They looked almost mechanical, but gave off a slight aura of metal-based magic.

"…They look like hearing aids." Kouji said bluntly.

"They're _Hon'yakusha _Translator Charms." Hakaishi said calmly.

Kenkyo picked one up, slipping it into her right ear. "Just put them in like so, and it should translate both what you hear, and your own speech. These models only go from English to Japanese and vice-versa, but that's all you're going to need."

She handed one to each of the kids, helping them get them set in the right way. Kouichi turned his over in his hands a moment, then reached up to slide it in, when Hakaishi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on a moment." he said quietly. "I'd like to speak with you, Kouichi."

The boy blinked, but followed his teacher to the other side of the room. The rest of them didn't notice, they were too busy getting their charms properly attached. Hakaishi tapped his wand on the edge of the wall, drawing a slight semi-circle around the two of them. A slight whisper, and it started to glow a pale yellow.

"Just an anti-eavesdropper spell." he assured Kouichi when the boy looked up at him. "I just want to make sure this stays between us, alright?"

Kouichi nodded, understanding. Hakaishi sighed, glancing back at Kenkyo and the others before he spoke. "Kouichi…I'm sure you've noticed that there's a slight difference between you and the other transfers…"

"I'm the only Yin going." the boy muttered quietly, not quite looking distressed, but nervous.

"Exactly. And there's a reason for that." Hakaishi moved to the side, blocking the view of the others so that he had the student's full attention. "Yin students are very rare in Britain, even rarer than around here. Most of their teaching isn't meant for your kind of magic, so it might be rather difficult for you to adjust. Especially since you probably won't find another Yin student to compare with."

Kouichi shifted a bit, anxious. It had been nerve-racking enough to be the only Yin out of their group of six, but out of an entire school? Holy cow…

"Kouichi." Hakaishi brought his mind back to the present subject. "It would probably be wise to keep your Yin status a secret while at Hogwarts."

Kouichi gaped. "But…sensei, why?" he asked. "It's…who I am…"

"I know that." Hakaishi smiled. "It's who I am, too, and I understand that it's uncomfortable to hide something that's so much a part of your life. But I must stress that, while wizards in this country understand that the Yin are necessary to maintain proper balance, our brothers in the West do not. They will hear the literal translation of the word…and 'Dark' Wizards are not the same thing…not at all. They are the _Kegareru_"

Kouichi went rigid. The Kegareru were the corrupted wizards, those who used their magic for their own gain, at the pain of sake of others. The Kegareru were not just dark, they were pure evil. The Kegareru included Motarasu-no-konton…

To be associated with that kind of wickedness again…He wouldn't be able to handle it.

Hakaishi nodded seriously, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Now you see what I mean." he whispered quietly. "I don't think it will be possible to hide it forever…but you should keep it quiet as long as humanly possible. Western Wizards are rather prejudice…I don't know many who would listen to our kind of reason."

He gazed over at the others. "Usually, we wouldn't even consider sending a Yin along for a trip like this, especially at such a critical time against Kegareru. But…" he turned back to smile at him. "…The point _is_ to send the very best, and you're our utmost spell-caster. Besides, I know your brother wouldn't leave you behind for the world."

He took the translator charm from the boy's hand, putting into his ear for him. "You're very clever, Kouichi. Possibly the best student I've had." he said quietly, eyes reminiscent of a mother hen as he ran his other hand through the boy's bangs. "I just want you to be careful, alright?"

"Yes, sensei." he nodded obediently.

"Good boy." the teacher pressed a button on the Hon'yakusha. A small buzzing noise filled Kouichi's ears, then faded away. Hakaishi pulled out his wand, tapping the edge of the glowing yellow line. "Now let's get back to the others."

****

. . . . . .

Kouji shifted a bit nervously, fingering the translator as if making sure it was in right. Actually, he was staring over where his brother and Hakaishi-sensei had gone.

They'd been over there several minutes, and his 'Nii-san hadn't even put his charm in. He couldn't hear a word because of the teacher's spell, but he couldn't help thinking that Kouichi looked…frightened, almost terrified. What on earth was Hakaishi telling him?

After a moment, though, the fear faded away. Hakaishi put the charm on for him, running a hand through his hair like a small child. He felt an annoyed prickle on the back of his neck…Usually, Kouichi only let family touch his hair.

"They're very close, aren't they?"

Kouji jumped, not realizing that Izumi had been watching beside him. She smiled at him, looking back at his brother and the teacher. "It must be nice for him." she continued. "Kouichi, I mean. Hakaishi-sensei's always been very kind to him."

Kouji frowned a bit, looking away. "I guess…"

Izumi gave him a level look. "You don't have to get all defensive about it, you know."

"I'm not being defensive." he muttered, feeling a bit of heat under the ears.

Izumi looked at him a moment, then shrugged. "Fine…Whatever you say, Kouji."

Kouji 'humph'ed and glanced back at his brother. Hakaishi had undone the spell, they were coming back over. He quickly wiped his face into an impassive smirk, hiding his not-so-nice thoughts from his brother.

"Well then." Kenkyo-sensei smiled. "Is everyone just about ready?"

"I believe so." Hakaishi-sensei nodded. "Of course, Kenkyo, there is the matter of the luggage…" He waved a hand to the six gathered trunks.

"Oh, of course…Stand aside please." Kenkyo pulled her wand out of the sash around her waist, flicking it momentarily towards Takuya's trunk as the students scattered out of the way. "_Chijimu_."

The red-leathered trunk shuttered a moment, then shrank down to the size of a chalkboard eraser. Five more flicks and the rest of them were the same size, although they were, luckily, each a different color so it was easy to identify them. "I'll change them back once we get to London." Kenkyo assured them, handing each one out. "Just slip them in your pockets, and we'll be on our way."

Junpei turned his blue trunk over in his hands before placing it in, then turned to the teacher. "How're we supposed to get there, anyway?" he queried. "A Portkey or something?"

"From this distance? Of course not." Kenkyo laughed. "You'd all be sick before we were even half-way there. No, we'll be taking this…"

She waved her wand once, summoning something from the closet across the courtyard. The door sprung open, a large, colorful object came soaring out to stop at Kenkyo's feet. A carpet…A _flying_ carpet, easily big enough to seat ten.

"Neat!" Takuya exclaimed.

Kouji took a closer look at it. "Yeah, it's neat alright. But I thought they didn't allow these in England."

"Special permission for long-range travel." Kenkyo said, sounding a little _too_ smug with herself. She checked her watch momentarily. "It's nearly three…We better get going, it's a five-hour flight. Hope you all remembered to take a nap before going."

The kids grumbled, Tomoki laughed, and Hakaishi just grinned in amusement. Kenkyo smiled knowingly, motioning towards the carpet with her right hand. She helped Tomoki and Izumi on before looking back at the other teacher.

"I trust you can handle everything here, Hakaishi?"

"Naturally." the man nodded.

Kouichi snapped his head up from where he was about to sit next to his brother. "Hakaishi-sensei, you're not coming with us?"

The older man smiled at him. "Someone does have to stay to hold down the fort while you're gone. Besides, Kenkyo-sensei is just going to get you settled in, from there you'll be on your own."

Kenkyo glanced at the boy with a slight smile. "Kimura-san, we do have a few minutes…"

Kouichi climbed slowly off the carpet, coming to face his teacher respectfully. He gave a slight bow at the waist, a seriously look in his eyes. "…Thank you for your lessons, sensei." he muttered traditionally, knowing that the others were listening in.

Hakaishi bowed back. "Thank you, Kouichi Kimura. It's been an honor."

Kouichi straightened, then moved forward very suddenly to throw his arms around his teacher's shoulders. (Kouji felt that annoyed prickle on the back of his neck once again…) Hakaishi was surprised at first, but smiled just a bit and patted his student on the back.

"Thank you…for everything." Kouichi whispered in his ear, low enough that the others couldn't hear. "I'm gonna miss you…"

Hakaishi smiled as they released. Kouichi hurried back to the carpet, taking his place on the carpet once again. Kenkyo nodded to her associate, then tapped the edge of the carpet with her wand. "Let's get going now." she said. "_Jido Igirisu. _Next stop, London."

**__**

TBC…

Notes:

- Inazuma = Lightening

- There really isn't a lot of difference between _'The Standard Book of Spells'_ and _'The Standard Spell Scroll'_ from Chapter 1. They have the same basic spells in them, only the former has the Latin-based, and the later has the Oriental versions.

- I'll explain more about Yin and Yang students in the later chapters, as well as the elemental magics.

****

- A little back-story here: Kouichi has actually known Hakaishi-sensei for several years prior to being initiated into the wizard training. When you're tutored in something as personal and complex as magic, you do tend to get close to a singular teacher. _(This is also true in Hogwarts: Harry liked Prof. Lupin, Hermione admires Prof. McGonagall, Neville is close to Prof. Sprout…)_ This is especially true for Kouichi, who's gone most of his life without a father figure, having an older man who accepts him is important, so they're almost like family. This is, naturally, a bit annoying to Kouji, who actually _is_ Kouichi's family. I might elaborate later, but it isn't really planned.

****

PS - I should be updating about once a week from now on, because school starts next Monday. However, I may be just a bit off, 'cause I'm getting my wisdom teeth out the Wednesday before…


	4. Two Sides of London

Someone asked if there would be any pairing in this fic. To be honest, I might throw some in, but I'm not entirely sure which ones to do for Harry Potter. Digimon, I've got that down pretty much…the only pairing I'm constant with is Takumi (Takuya/Izumi) with lots of the brotherly-type love between the twins. Even the stuff I throw in would be pretty light, mostly just hintings, like in the show, though I may put in teasing and/or a small kiss. What do you guys think?

P.S. - If anything is odd about this chapter, I blame it on the gas they put me on to take out my wisdom teeth on Tuesday. It did something to my mind…the proof is in my latest Saint Seiya story…

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So there.

Chapter 4: Two Sides of London

London is a very large and busy city, but its alleys and side-roads are far from the most hospitable places in the world. Cold, dark and rather small, many people choose to avoid them rather than slip down these hiding places for drunks and pick-pockets.

As it was, only a raggedy-looking man waking up with a very bad hangover noticed that a large carpet carrying six teenagers (circled in the back playing cards) and one older-looking woman (apparently asleep) swooped out of the sky and landed in one of the aforementioned alleyways. The drunk eyed them wordlessly a moment, then decided he was hallucinating and rolled over to get a bit more sleep.

The apparently-asleep woman stretched, smiling as the carpet touched down. "And we're here." she announced brightly, turning back to the students.

All six of said pupils had at least a few burns and singes on their clothes and fingers, thanks to a four-hour game of Di Hin Min with cards that were meant for Exploding Snap. There was a large burn mark in the middle of the rug, where the material had caught fire. They abandoned the game in an instant, quickly climbing off the carpet to look around.

"Yuck." Izumi commented, grimacing at the foul odor. "Where are we?"

"London, England." Kenkyo said brightly, flicking her wand to roll up the carpet. "A back-alley somewhere, shouldn't be too far from our destination."

She brushed off her robe, smartly shrinking the carpet as she had the trunks and slipping it into her pocket. "Well then. Let's be off. Stay together now, we don't want to lose anyone in Muggle London…"

It wasn't really hard, seeing as the moment they stepped out into the crowd they were sandwiched together so tightly they couldn't break away if they wanted to. They were all smaller than your average westerner, except for maybe Junpei and Kenkyo, so none of them could see where they were going. Tomoki, still much smaller than the rest, even with five years of growth, was nearly trampled until Izumi and Takuya grabbed each of his arms to pull him steady. Koji reached back and caught Kouichi's wrist, a bit worried that his brother's usual habit of daydreaming as he went would get him swept off into the throng.

"Here we are." Kenkyo announced, after about ten minutes of struggling through the busy streets. "The Leaky Cauldron."

"T-That's it?!" Junpei exclaimed, pushing forward to get a good view of the shop. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

When the others managed to push their way forward, most of them had similar sentiments. The place was rather run-down, with its pealing paint and partially-broken sign. The only thing about it that you could tell was magical at all was that the muggles around them couldn't see it. There was a spell keeping them oblivious.

"Remember, my young _minarai_…" Kenkyo said, a coy smile on her face. "In our world of magic, do not judge a book by its cover. This way."

The inside of the pub was very much like the outside, dark and rather dingy-looking, but they hardly noticed as they gazed around at the dozens of people. In Japan, it was extremely rare to see so many witches and wizards in their normal state, though none of them ever dressed like this. Even rarer was to find such interesting characters as hags and vampires. Each of them took a direction and just stared, wide-eyed and few open-mouthed.

Kenkyo smirked, walking up to the desk in front of a long hallway. A wizened old man with no teeth sat there, going over some kind of register.

"Good day, Tom." she said cheerily, tapping her wand on his parchment to get his attention.

"Eh, Ms. Kenkyo." The old man looked around her at the teens and gave them a toothless grin. "I see you've got the new Hogwarts Transfers with you. Have a nice trip?"

"Pleasant enough." the teacher said brightly. "We'll need three rooms…One with three beds, the others with two each."

She looked back at the group with a smile as Tom began rustling through his books. "One of the two-beds will be ours, Izumi. The boys can split up the other two."

"Great." Junpei yawned, stretching as he did so. "So we can turn in and go to bed…"

"Don't think so." Kenkyo grinned, waving a finger in fake-warning. "Check the clock, Shibuyama-san. The local time is 11:00 AM."

"Huh?" Junpei's mouth fell open, and the others blinked. "That can't be right! We left at three in the afternoon!"

"A five-hour flight, backwards, over nine time zones." Kenkyo said coyly. "We've got just enough time to put your stuff away before lunch, then we can get some shopping done…"

The kids stared at her blankly, sleep already pulling at their eyes. She grinned, enjoying the stunned looks. "I hope all remembered to take a nap, as I said, the jetlag is killer."

. . . . . .

The past few weeks had been chaos, and it had all been quite fun.

Ron was right, the Burrow was a center of madness with all of the Order coming in and out on a regular basis. Hermione had turned up about half-way through the second week, with permission from her parents to stay with the Weasleys…Although both parents seamed just a little worried when Mr. Weasley asked if he could remove the engine of their car.

The Weasley family seamed a bit smaller than usual. Bill was around most often of the older Weasleys, although Charlie had stopped by more than once. Fred and George hadn't turned up at all, but they had sent a handsome owl with a small bag of Gallons (for 'family expenses') and letters for each person in the house…As though to show that they'd have more respect for their parents than Percy, who still wasn't talking to them and hadn't turned up either.

But even with most of the brothers traveling or living on their own, the place was packed. Lupin had been here the whole time, waiting for orders from Dumbledore on where to go next. He was looking shabby as ever, but seamed to be doing alright, all things considered. Mad-Eye was around as well, though not as often. Tonks was in and out almost constantly, she, Hermione and Ginny shared Percy's old room, and the Morphmagus was acting quite…oddly, even for her. And there was the air of secrecy around some of their dinner conversations…

But it wasn't the threatening kind of secrecy, it was more of the playful, excited, don't-spoil-the-big-secret kind of secrecy, like there had been over the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and the others tried to get the adults to slip up and tell them _something_, but, as before, nothing worked.

The Sunday before the term started, Harry, Ron, Charlie and Ginny had an extremely entertaining mini-Quidditch game out behind the house, and returned around sunset sweaty, muddy, and with huge smiles on their faces. There they found Mrs. Weasly hurriedly sorting the contents of four sets of trunks, a stressed, wind-blown look on her face.

"Good, you're back." she sighed as the group entered. She cast her wand at three folded stacks of robes, each tied with a bright red rope, and sent them zooming into the arms of Harry, Ron and Ginny. "We need to get you some new ones, Ginny dear. Take these up to your rooms and get them packed up, Tonks already left and we won't have any time to pack tomorrow."

She flicked out at a pile of small bundles, their socks and ties, and some how managed to send them all flying at their correct owners. Though at the rapid-fire pace, even Harry was having trouble grabbing all of them.

"Mum…" Ron mumbled through a tie that was caught in his mouth. "Wuht's this awl fer?"

"We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley reported briskly, bustling towards the kitchen and summoning an apron to tie around her waist. "We have to get all your new things, and it's closer to the Platform than this is. It should be more comfortable than usual, hopefully…"

Hermione appeared at the foot of the stairs and was immediately attacked by a bundle of robes. She had, apparently, heard everything before-hand and was ready for them, though the force knocked her back up two steps.

Charlie checked his watch. "Better get going, then." he sighed. "Mesilla is expecting me to take the Vipertooths back in Romania. Those little buggers are _fast_."

"I packed some extra tonic in your bag, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, sending the backpack at her older son.

Charlie caught it easily, slipping it over his shoulder. "Thanks mum. And you four, good luck with your term. See you around." A wave and a wink, and he'd Disaparated.

A stray pair of socks came flying and hit Ron in the head. Ginny chuckled and started up the stairs after Hermione.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." he muttered, and started after, a grinning Harry on his heels.

. . . . . .

"I think our teacher has lost it." Junpei muttered to Takuya, and the goggle-wearing teen had to admit, he agreed.

They were standing in a slightly huddled group near the trash bin against the wall of the pub. Kenkyo had her wand out, and was tapping confidently on a brick along the edge of the wall. However, nothing was happening.

Kenkyo's confidence turned to confusion. "Well, come on." she muttered, turning her wand to prod, rather than tap. "This has always worked before…"

"We could be here a while…" Izumi sighed, putting a hand to her temple as though she was getting a head ache.

The twins had managed to reclaim a newspaper from one of the men at the bar, and were combing through it together with mild interest. The wizards in the front-page picture were having a rather rowdy fight, firing their spells in and around the words _The Daily Prophet_ at the top.

Tomoki tried to read over Kouichi's shoulder, but even on his tip-toes he couldn't get a good look. "Anything interesting?"

"Nope." Kouji sighed, folding the paper up. "But the Tengu beat Germany by over two-hundred points yesterday."

"Sweet." Takuya mentioned with a grin. "The team's really great this year, a few more seasons and that World Cup is comin' to Japan."

Kenkyo suddenly knocked her hand against her head with an exclamation of self-mockery. "Oh, how did I forget that?" she laughed, counting bricks again. "It's _three_ up, _two _across…and…"

She tapped the brick three times. There was a slight rumbling noise and all six transfers backed away as the bricks began to shift and re-align themselves. A huge gateway formed in the wall, pulling the trash bin back with it and reveling something that made all their mouths drop open.

Shops upon shops lined the cobblestone street, all of them selling things they were used to buying in the back of arcades or convenience stores. Stacks of cauldrons, piles of spell books, the squawking and screeching of various magical animals, and an apothecary to put even old man Ryokucha to shame.

"Welcome…" said Kenkyo smugly. "To Diagon Alley."

****

TBC…

P.S. - The closest I have ever been to a vacation out of the country is a weekend in Montreal. As such, I have never been to London. I just assume it's like every other large city in the world.

Minarai = Students


	5. Day One On Diagon Alley

I wanted to put this up earlier (like, Saturday…) but went down for repairs! So, you all had to wait a while!

As of yet, no one has figured out who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is! Here's another clue: It's a 'she'! Remember, she's been in the books before, but she's never been a teacher. Let's just see if ANY of you can figure it out!

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter.

Chapter 5: Day One On Diagon Alley

Takuya craned his neck upwards, trying to see the top of the huge white building. It was rather hard.

"Woah." he said approvingly. "So this is the Gringott's Home Bank, huh?"

"Why don't we have spells like this?" Tomoki said, craning his eyes. "Hiding all this, like it was nothing? These Western wizards have it easy…"

Kenkyo gave the two of them a gentle nudge from behind. "Not enough room in Tokyo, you know." she said in response to Tomoki's question. "Besides, do you know how much trouble this place causes for the local muggle electronics? It'd cause a power failure back home. Now _in_."

The group moved past the two sets of doors, finding themselves amongst the craziest-looking creatures yet. Even Kouichi and Izumi had only seen one goblin, the one that ran the tiny branch near Yokohama, who was over a hundred years old and looked vaguely like a purple Yoda. These guys were…Well, different. As in, young.

A little gray-skinned thing with large ears came waddling up to them, little black eyes darting between them suspiciously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes." the teacher said brightly, drawing his attention. "My name is Kenkyo Reigi, and I need to make a withdraw from the Shibuya Shrine's account."

The goblin's eyes turned to her, breaking off of Junpei, who relaxed quite a bit. "And…Do you have the key, ma'am?"

"Right here." she produced a tiny, tarnished silver key from the sleeve of her robe. The goblin took it and examined it wordlessly, then nodded. "That is in order. I shall call someone to take you down to the vault…Akachu!"

"Bless you." Kenkyo said brightly.

The goblin eyed her in an annoyed fashion, motioning another over. This was a brownish-red, with spiky, greenish hair covering his ears. "Take them down to Vault 211."

"Just me, actually." Kenkyo cleared her throat. "You kids stay here. Those carts aren't meant for more than two. And _behave_, Kanbara-san."

"What?" the accused said innocently, and the teacher followed the goblin towards a darker hallway. The first goblin eyed them each wordlessly, then went back to his desk. He didn't need to watch them…there were three others to oblige as they did their jobs.

Not everyone was comfortable with this level of attention. Tomoki shifted nervously under the gaze of a rather large goblin and switched places with Takuya to get him in the way.

"Hey, take it easy, kid." Takuya commented. "They're not gonna hurt you."

"I know that." Tomoki retorted. "But they're freakin' me out."

Kouji felt his brother tense up. Kouichi, obviously feeling less than a little comfortable himself, slipped behind him to put the younger twin between himself and the nearest goblin.

"Just relax…" Kouji soothed, reaching back to put a hand on his shoulder.

"They're staring at us…" Kouichi muttered, eyes nearly disappearing behind his bangs as his near-muteness shyness started to set in again. "I don't like it."

"Ugh…me either." Izumi shivered. "I wish they'd blink already…"

Luckily, Kenkyo showed back up about three minutes later, with a large bag of coins around her waist, looking very harried and windblown. But there was a big smile on her face, so whatever had happened, she'd clearing enjoyed it…in her own way.

"Well, that's all settled now." she said brightly. "Let's get going."

Several breaths were let out at once as they exited the door. There were a pair of goblins that escorted them out, keeping their beady eyes trained until they were out both doors.

Almost immediately, Izumi spotted something that made her eyes light up. "Look at the brooms!"

"Here we go…" Takuya rolled his eyes as the girl hurried to the window of something called _Quality Quidditch Supplies_. There was a handsome-looking broom on display, the word _Firebolt_ written in gold on the side. "We really need to keep Izumi _away_ from the brooms."

"Oh, shut up Takuya." The girl's green eyes were already inspecting the bundle of twigs at the end of the broom. "It looks pretty impressive, but it's made of ash, so why have birch twigs? The birch rides nice and smooth, but they go so much faster if they used an oak handle, like the new Maiagaru models. Ash-wood really flies best with redwood twigs…I wonder if it still handles as smoothly as the Inazuma…"

Kenkyo cleared her throat. Junpei and Takuya grabbed Izumi by the arms and pulled her back into the group. "Aw, _guys_…" she sighed. "Kenkyo-sensei…"

"You can satisfy your curiosity later." she said. "Besides, I'm sure you'll find someone at school with a broom you can try, then you can compare for yourself."

You could _see_ the excitement in Izumi's eyes.

"Now, where were we? Minamoto-san, let me see your list…" Kouji reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out the folded parchment that had come with his letter. Kenkyo unfolded it, reading as she walked. "Ah, thank you. Now let's see…they already sent all your spell books, good…And you've all got your wands, so you don't need those…Looks like your uniforms are the first thing up. I doubt you want to be wearing yukatas and kimonos for nine months…"

Even Junpei grimaced at the idea. The that style of robe was easy to tie too tightly and hard to move in, especially the women's. And besides all that, they did tend to get pretty hot, especially in black, so they were worn only for festivals.

They entered a shop called _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_. The squat witch, dressed in mauve and sitting at the desk in the front of her shop, looked up as the group entered.

"Oh dear…" she stood. "Let me guess…traveling, need to blend in a bit? Well, let's start with you, ma'am…"

"Not quite." Kenkyo pulled her arm out of the other woman's grasp. "You supply the robes for Hogwarts students, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Madam Malkin narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying these students all need Hogwarts robes?"

"One set each, yes ma'am."

"You must be the transfers Prof. McGonagall warned me about…" Madam Malkin sighed, pulling out a tape measurer. "Alright then…Six sets of Hogwarts robes coming right up. You first, young lady, hop up here now."

Izumi jumped up on the stool as the woman took her measurements. "Tie your hair up, please. Going into fifth year, dear?"

"Sixth." Kenkyo corrected.

"Better use the fifth-year base any how…" Madam Malkin slipped a black robe over Izumi's head. "No offense, dear, you're all a bit smaller than I'm used to."

She pulled out some needles and her wand and began hemming the girl's robe, shortening the sleeves and lifting the bustline a bit more. There were a few chairs for waiting just to the side. Kenkyo took one, Junpei and Tomoki had the other two. Takuya, Kouji and Kouichi remained standing, examining the various kinds of robes that filled the room.

A woman, Madam Malkin's assistant, appeared from the door on the other side of the small shop. "I can take you now." she said to Tomoki. "Second year?"

"Er…Fourth, I think." Tomoki glanced at Kenkyo for confirmation, then jumped up on the second stool. The assistant brought out second-year robes anyway.

Izumi was examining herself in the mirror, obviously a bit unimpressed with the simple black fabric. "Does it have to be _black_? Can't we add just a little color to it?"

"The house-elves with apply your house colors once you're sorted." the kids glanced at each other blankly. Houses? Sorted? What the…? "You're all done now, dear. Who's next?"

Takuya shrugged, taking Izumi's place as she jumped down. After a few moments, Tomoki was finished as well, and Junpei took his spot. Because Junpei was so much…well, _bigger_ than anyone else…it took as long to do him as it did Kouji and Kouichi both. Madam Malkin disappeared into the back a moment, reappearing at the desk with several bundles.

"That'll be fourteen Galleons, twelve Sickles and twenty-three Knuts." she said briskly, ringing up all six bundles. Kenkyo paid her, then handed out the bundles to their owners once they were out the door.

"There we go…Himi-chan, be careful, don't let drag across the ground. And Kanbara-san, don't just wad them up, you want your uniform to be nice and neat…"

After they got that all sorted out, they visited the Apothecary. ("Different cultures, different herbs.") and got the required pewter cauldrons ("Don't trust iron-bottoms around here, do they?") After stashing said things back in their rooms, they returned to the commons for dinner…like Kenkyo asked.

Unfortunately, it was currently about 7 PM, which corresponded to around 4 in the morning back in Japan. The kids were all worn out from the equivalent of a night without sleep, and you could see it…Tomoki had nodded off twice so far, Takuya's yawns could be compared to a circus lion's, and, as they were sitting at the large, circular table, Kouichi placed his head against the wall and dozed off completely.

"Nii-san, wake up." Kouji shook his brother by the shoulder and stifled a yawn of his own. Kouichi opened one tired eye. "Sit up. Food's here."

"Not hungry." the older twin muttered, and closed the eye again.

Takuya, sitting on Kouji's opposite site, went around and grabbed Kouichi's left arm. His brother took the right and they set the dark-haired boy back up-right in his seat. Kouichi gave a light moan of protest.

"Looks like Kimura-san doesn't adjust to jetlag very well." Kenkyo chuckled, closing the barrel of rice Tom had provided them with and handing out the bowls. "Eat up, all of you. We'll go to bed early to help all of you adjust."

Tom brought over a large beef pot, special-order by Kenkyo's request. It was rather good, though a bit more of a western flavor than they were used to. Thirty minutes later they were all full, happy, and more than a little tired, so, as Kenkyo promised, they upped the stairs and collapsed.

Kouichi fell backwards onto the bed without changing out of the 'Muggle clothes' he was wearing, simply toeing off his shoes without wasting too much energy.

Kouji chuckled, taking off his jacket and hanging in on a chair. "Tired, Nii-chan?"

"Exhausted." the older rolled over, pulling the bedcovers down to slide under them. "I've never been so sleepy in my life…"

The younger twin undid his hair, combing it out in the mirror before re-fastening it to keep from getting too tangled. On the other side of the wall, they could already hear Junpei's snoring, as well as Takuya attempting to muffle him without strangling their friend. Kouji yawned, climbing into his own bed and _Nox-_ing the light as Tom had shown them.

"G'night, nii-chan." Kouji muttered.

"'Night…"

Kouichi snuggled deep into the warm, soft pillow. He tried sleepily to recall the dream he had been having before, when he had nodded off at the dinner table. The only thing he could come up with was a flash of polished black and shining gold, followed by a familiar voice that he just couldn't put his finger on…

He rolled over and fell into a near-comatose sleep, and when he woke up again he didn't remember the dream at all.

****

TBC…

Yes, an all-Digimon chapter. Harry just didn't have anything to do just yet.

BTW - The comment about Kouichi's shyness being 'near-muteness' basically means that he gets so shy around strangers that he finds it hard to talk or make eye contact at all. It can actually be diagnosed as a psychological disease. A friend of mine had an advanced form, Selective Mutism, and could hardly hold a conversation with another person. I've seen Kouichi say less than ten words an episode…what else would you call it?


	6. Pets

First of all, yes, there IS a reason Kouji switched from Nii-_san_ to Nii-_chan_ when talking to Kouichi. From what I've figured out, -_chan_ is very affectionate, at least when using it about a teenage boy. You wouldn't just use it with just any peer you knew. And from the vibes I get in the show, the Minamoto/Kimura twins have a very sweet, very close, very loving bond, as is reflected in my fics. But I don't think either of them, especially Kouji, wants to broadcast that, so he doesn't use the affectionate nickname in public. If you noticed, he only used the _-chan_ ending when they were alone. So he uses _-san_ around the others, and _-chan_ when its just the two of them.

Also, both Onii-san (nii-san) and Aniki mean 'Older Brother'. However, Nii-san is how you address your own sibling, while Aniki is used when talking about the person in question. _"Aniki desu?"_ basically means, "Is that your older brother?" And when Kouji calls Kouichi "Nii-san" or "Nii-chan", he's just using a sweet nickname. It's the same in this chapter, when Kouichi calls him "'Touto-chan." or Younger Brother. Complicated, yes, but it suits them both.

Note: This is not just some random thing for chapter's sake, all of these animals will play some sort of part in the story to come! I swear, I've planned this all out, so they will make a difference!

****

Disclaimer: Don't own either one, don't sue either way.

Chapter 6: Pets

Tom woke the transfers up about seven in the morning, rapping his sharp knuckles on the doors to jar them from sleep. None of them were really willing to be up, except for Kenkyo, who made this kind of travel on a regular basis.

The warm breakfast provided downstairs woke them up quite a bit, even if they weren't used to the bacon, fried eggs and 'pancakes' that were served. Junpei sat back after his third helping of pancakes and rubbing his stomach.

"Ooh…that was good."

"Junpei, you are such a pig!" Izumi chastised, pushing a half-eaten plate of eggs away. "I'm already full…"

Kouji wiped his fingers on a napkin, the pulled his bandana out of his pocket and tied it back around his head. Kouichi, Tomoki and Takuya finished theirs as well, in the next few minutes.

Takuya leaned back in his chair, looking at their teacher. "So, Kenkyo-sensei… what're we doing today? We don't have any more school things to get, so…"

Kenkyo chuckled, producing several small, different-colored leather bags from the sleeves of her robe. "This would be your spending money for the rest of the semester." she said brightly. "Make it last, we'll send more along at Christmastime."

She passed the bags out to their respective owners. They were all rather impressed with the amount of money they were allowed for four months, there was at least twenty-five galleons in here…Somewhere around ninety pounds, a hundred US dollars, about ten thousand Yen.

Kouichi felt the contents through the bag's cloth, then looked up at Kenkyo. "Sensei, where did this all come from?" He was pretty sure his mother didn't provide this…it was about the equivalent of the rent on their apartment.

"It's a gift…from the Shibuya shrine." Kenkyo smiled. "Everyone's excited about this transfer program, and we wanted to make the most of it. But your parents did throw in a little for a going-away present. How does a nice pet sound?"

Next thing they knew, they were scatted around the _Magical Menagerie _pet store, examining the various things that caught their eye.

Kenkyo was showing Izumi a big terrarium of Puffskins, large, friendly, peach-colored furballs which were blowing air up into the women's faces. Tomoki seamed to be enjoying himself, playing around with a litter of Crups, small creatures that looked rather like terriers, but with forked tails. They were climbing all over him and nipping playfully at his ears. Kouji was examining what looked like a large turtle with a jewel-incrusted shell, until it turned around and spat fire at the glass he was looking through. And Takuya hadn't wasted any time find what he was after.

"Why did you get a _frog_?" Izumi asked, looking at the squat, green thing in his hands. It was a bright forest green with large blue eyes, set in a big, round face that looked to be smiling. It was large enough that Takuya held it in two hands.

"Hey, I like frogs!" Takuya said. "Besides, he reminded me of Ranamon, in a way…"

"I wish I could get one." Tomoki mentioned from his spot with the Crup puppies. "But mom hates slimy stuff like frogs and lizards…and dad won't allow birds in the house, and my brother's allergic to anything with fur…"

"That's okay, Tomoki." Takuya grinned. "You can take care of Janpu with me."

"Janpu?" The frog looked up at Izumi and gave a happy croak. The girl gave it a weird look and shrugged. "Whatever. It's your frog."

She disappeared back into the store, and Takuya and Tommy exited to wait outside of all the squawking. Junpei was already there, leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Junpei." Takuya called. "Not getting a pet?"

"Nah." the older teen rolled his eyes. "I'm not an animal sort of guy. I could never have something crawling all over me for attention…"

"…And food." Takuya added, and Junpei shot him a look.

The door opened again. Kenkyo exited, looking quite content with her excursion, and Izumi was right behind her, carrying a large cage with a tawny brown owl inside.

"Isn't she just gorgeous?" the blonde girl smiled. "I'm gonna call her Tobu!"

"Nice." Takuya agreed, looking in at the new owl. "She can make it back home, right?"

"With a day's rest between each journey, sure she can." Izumi produced small, brown pallets of Owl Treats and fed them to her owl inside, who snapped them up and gave a hoot of glee.

Back inside, Kouji was finishing up his purchase…A large, majestic-looking gray owl, its black eyes blinking around lazily.

"So whattya gonna call that thing, 'Touto-chan?" Kouichi asked. He was examining a large raven perched in the corner, stroking its feathers.

"I was thinking…Yurei." the younger brother said, paying the woman for the pet, the cage, and the food. "What do you think, huh?"

He spoke to the owl when he said that. The bird ruffled its feathers and gave a slight hoot, nipping his finger in a way that could have been affection, then turned its head and blinked up at him contently.

"Fine, then. Yurei it is." Kouji looked back up at his brother. "What about you? Are you gonna get anything?"

"I don't know." Kouichi was still petting the raven, examining his wings gently. "This guy reminds me of Hakaishi-san's. He used to let me take care of them, when they weren't out-"

He was cut off in mid-sentence as something large and black leapt over the top of the counter. It landed with the grace of a decent-sized hunter, smack in the middle of Kouichi's chest, and knocked the boy to the ground.

Kouichi looked up to find himself staring into two large, bright green eyes. A bit of focus, and he realized that there was a very large black cat sitting on his chest, staring down at him…and purring, as though it'd finally found something it liked.

"Kouichi, are you okay?" Kouji's worried voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine." Kouichi sat up. The cat promptly re-located itself to his lap, curling up and purring contently.

The witch from the counter came by to survey the damage, and smiled. "Well, isn't that something? That cat's been in here almost a year, and you're the first she's taken a liking to."

Kouichi gathered the cat up so he could stand, intending to put her back down on the counter. But the cat sensed that and had other ideas, tangling her claws into the fabric of his clothes and, accidentally-on-purpose, his skin.

"I don't think she'll let you go." the witch smiled as the boy grimaced. "I believe that particular cat is part Kneazle. They're quite useful, you know, and very protective, at least of the ones they like."

Kouichi looked rather blankly at the purring creature attached to his shirt. The cat looked up at him with large, blinking green eyes and meowed innocently. He sighed. "How much?"

Five minutes later, the twins came out of the shop, Kouji with his owl and Kouichi still cradling the large, purring mass of black fur.

"Kouichi-kun, you got a cat?" Izumi remarked. She ran her fingers down between the kitty's ears, who purred in response and butted against her hand. "Funny, I never pinned you as a cat person."

"She…kinda chose me." Kouichi shrugged. The cat licked his hand and settled back in with a content purr.

"So? Whattya gonna call her?" Takuya asked. He was brushing his fingers along Yurei's wing appraisingly, until the bird got annoyed and snapped at his nose. "Your cat, I mean. She can't go around without a name."

Kouichi was quiet, looking down at the animal in his arms. "…Yugure." he finally decided, after about five minutes.

"Good name." Kenkyo agreed, smiling. "You're all free for the rest of the day, go explore a bit. Just be back at the Leaky Cauldron by about 7 for dinner, don't spend all your money, and stay _away_ from Knockturn Alley."

****

The cab ride to London went well enough, all things considered. It was at least partially sunny this time around, and those with owls decided to send them off with messages and tell them to return post to the Leaky Cauldron. Crookshanks, though rather disgruntled about not getting to take along a Gnome as a souvenir, was bundled into his basket and carried like any normal cat. To the cab drivers, they merely looked like a rather large family going for some start-of-term shopping and staying in London until school began.

They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron some time around 3 in the afternoon. It was crowded, as usual, though not as much as it would probably be later. Mrs. Weasley lead the path through to the desk.

"Hello, Tom." she said brightly.

"Ah, Mrs. Weasley." The toothless old man check his register. "Got your reservations, right here…It may be just a bit more crowded than usual. We've got a large group up there this week."

"Ours is smaller than usual anyway…We should be able to fit." Mrs. Weasly nodded. Tom took a couple off keys off his rack and started up the stairs, motioning for them to follow.

"Your boys who've set up shop in the Alley? They're a real lot to have around." he chuckled. "Come in here sometimes just to buy a round of Butterbeers for the whole house. Then they charm half of 'em so that their drinkers turn purple…great for a laugh, those two."

Harry cracked a smile, and to his surprise, so did Mrs. Weasly. "Yes…They have been doing quite well, haven't they?"

Tom pointed out a few rooms and handed out the keys. Mrs. Weasly gave one room to Harry and Ron, and disappeared into the other with the girls.

Ron shoved his trunk under the second bed and plopped down with a sigh. "It'll be good to be back at school again." he sighed, stretching. "Since Fred and George left home, life's been boring."

Harry pushed his trunk into place and sat down as well, stretching his limbs after the long car ride. "Who do you think the group is that Tom mention?"

"Who knows?" Ron lay back and stretched from his fingers down to his toes. "My guess is that they're foreigners…The kitchen smelled awfully spicy as we went past."

Harry pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, sitting back up. He checked his watching momentarily, then stood. "We still have some time before dinner. Want to grab Hermione and look around a bit?"

Ron shrugged, setting up as well. "Sounds good to me." he yawned a bit. "Let's get going."

****

TBC…

Janpu = Jump

Tobu = Fly

Yurei = Ghost

Yugure = Nightfall

Kneazle- According to _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,_ a Kneazle is a small, cat-like creature that is very intelligent, cunning, independent, occasionally aggressive, and has the uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters. They are known to interbreed with cats. In fact, according to , Hermione's cat Crookshanks is part Kneazle, though his heritage isn't know, like Yugure's.

The Galleon figures I got from the back of _Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them._


	7. A Few Near Misses

Allow me to quote the Hogwarts acceptation letters: "Students may bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad." True, Ron brings a rat, but Scabbers doesn't do anything. I'm just trying to keep with school rules here…that's why no one got a Puffskin or a Crup or anything like that.

And why doesn't it fit for Takuya to have a frog? I always figured he thought a bit out of the box, no matter what he did. Besides, frogs are cute!

****

Disclaimer: Don't own either one, don't sue either way.

Chapter 7: A Few Near Misses

Their third day on Diagon Alley was really quite enjoyable.

The group had split into two separate ones, going off to explore the Alley a bit better while Kenkyo…Well, they really weren't sure what their teacher was doing, though she claimed it was final arrangements for their trip to Hogwarts the next day. Either way, it left the students free reign over where they went.

Izumi was finally allowed inside the Quidditch place, much to Junpei's chagrin, and was quite enjoying herself with all the brooms and equipment. Tomoki and Takuya had discovered a joke shop the day before and were now dragging Kouji and Kouichi in to see.

"Come on, you two, it isn't that bad!" Takuya urged, pushing Kouji along from behind. "This place is really great!"

"Just slow down a bit, Takuya…" Kouji mumbled in distasted. "We've barely had time to digest breakfast."

Tomoki and Kouichi were trailing behind the other two, quite a bit more slowly and with less force. They glanced at each other and privately cracked up, covering the mouths with their hands to hide their chuckles.

"Very funny, you two." Kouji muttered, as they came to the door of the most colorful shop on the block.

The sign was changing colors every few minutes, so that none of the letters in _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_ were ever the same color at the same time. The store itself was smaller than the other store, but it also looked newer, with a lively paintjob of bright reds, golds and oranges.

Kouichi paused a moment by the large display window to the right of the door. Inside was a festering, murky swamp, complete with sludge-water, cattails, and more than a few bugs. The sign leaning against a large rock read: _"PORTABLE SWAMP! (as see on the fifth floor of Hogwarts) Great for large-scale kabangs and tormenting old bats! Ten galleons for twenty meters."_

"Weird, huh?" Tomoki piped from next to him. "And look at the other window!"

Kouichi looked and nearly burst out laughing. A long-limbed, yellow and green toad was doing a tap dance on a three-legged stool, complete with cane and top hat. The grin on its face reminded him of Takuya's new pet. There was music for it to dance to coming from an old wizarding radio, and it seamed to be performing simply for the sake of drawing in customers.

"How weird…"

"Hey!" Takuya called, opening the door and keeping one hand on Kouji's shoulder. "Enough window-shopping, you two! Wait'll you see the inside!"

The door shut behind them, but instead of a bell or tone announcing their entrance, it let out a noise vaguely like an elephant trumpeting. It surprised all of them, but was rather close to Kouji's right ear, so he leapt to the left in startled attempt to get away.

His actions knocked a box to the floor, dumping out a blue-covered book. It landed on its binding, falling open and beginning to cackle like a hag as two large red apples rolled out and bounced away. Tomoki scrambled down and slammed it shut.

Koji had a very amusing look on his face. "What…the…heck?!"

"Sorry 'bout that." they all jumped again at the sudden voice, that seamed to be coming from the potted plant next to Kouichi. "New merchandise, you know?"

The twins, at least, were quite relieved when a red-haired man stuck his head around the edge. He was only a few years older than they were and built a lot like Junpei, slimmer than their friend, but short and stocky in the same manner. His freckled face was round and pleasant, currently stretched into a playful grin.

"Just developed those last month. More of a joke for wizards with Muggle relatives." he picked up the book and the apples, biting into one and handing the other to Kouichi. "A bit of a laugh when they come home for the hols. We're planning on putting them in the window tomorrow and moving the toad into the back."

Said toad was currently sitting on the stool, a bowler replacing his top hand and a piece of paper held open in front of him. His mouth was opening and closing, as though giving the news that was now playing on the radio.

The red haired man put the book back in the box, his eyes alighting a moment on Takuya, then on Tomoki. "So, you two are back, eh? See you brought a couple of friends."

"Yup." Takuya grinned. "Yesterday was a ball, and Kouji could always use a little lightening up anyway…"

"Oh, shut up, Takuya." Kouji muttered, rubbing his right ear. His brother was trying rather hard not to laugh. "Kouichi…"

"Sorry." the elder coughed once, getting it out of his system. "But these things _are_ rather fun, Kouji."

"At least one of you has a sense of humor." Takuya grinned, ignoring the death glare his friend was giving him.

The storeowner looked at the two a moment, his grin getting even wider when he noticed the similarity. "Well well." he nodded. "Just a second, gents."

He strode a bit further towards the back of the store. "OI! George!"

An identical head suddenly stuck itself out of the back room. "Yeah, Fred?"

"Come over here. Got a couple of interesting new customers."

"That so?" the other came to stand beside him. They were obviously identical twins, and they didn't have the hairstyle difference Kouji and Kouichi had. It was impossible to tell one from the other.

"Eh, now." the newer-come one grinned just a bit. "Nice to meet you. I'm George Weasly, bookkeeper and co-owner of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes…"

"And I'm Fred Weasly, co-owner and chief of advertising." the first one winked. "We already know you two…Tah-koo-yah and Toe-moe-key, right?"

"Yup." Takuya and Tomoki grinned at the same time.

"So the two of you must be more of the transfers to Hogwarts." George nodded to the remaining Japanese students.

"Yeah." Takuya put a hand on Kouji's shoulder. "This is Kouji, and his mirror image over there is Kouichi."

Fred's grin widened a bit. "Another pair of twins, eh?"

"The Patils should be happy."

"They're a pair you'll meet up at school. Should be about your age."

"Girls, though. Kinda cute, but a little young."

"Eh, they can handle it. So, you guys looking for anything in particular?"

Kouji was having a rather hard time keeping track of what they were saying, and felt very relieved that he and Kouichi chose to keep their own…connections…to private conversations. Well, that and translating what the elder was attempting to say when speaking to strangers.

Said older brother just smiled, shaking his head.

Tomoki leaned over the table. "We're just looking." he said. "We really don't know what to get."

"We can help you with that." George grinned even wider. "Our picks of the month are always top-sellers."

"If you like getting in trouble, that is."

"Only if you get caught."

"That's one rule to learn at Hogwarts, never get caught if you can help it."

"Now for a milder trick, there's these things over here…"

****

After getting what they needed from Gringotts, and buying their new books and such, Harry, Ron and Hermione started exploring the alley a bit more carefully. First they stopped by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and bought three large cones, then they went to Quality Quidditch Supplies, to check out the newest acquisitions. But there was nothing too interesting, though an unfamiliar girl with long, blonde hair certainly thought it was. She was examining last year's Cleansweeps and rattling on to a large boy that was standing near her.

"See, I told you. Not near as straight as the Inazuma 250, but the carving is definitely straighter. They say it's a good Chaser broom, but it's really better for a Keeper than anything else. A Chaser has to be able to turn on a dime, and the uneven twigs increase the drag…"

The large boy was only half-awake, from the looks of him, and wasn't quite as interested in the brooms as his friend. He was watching a poster of the Holyhead Harpies flying through a fast-paced game with the Chudley Cannons on the next wall. The orange-robed team was, so far, loosing spectacularly.

The three friends quickly exited the crowded store, and went down the street to the newest shop yet…Number 55, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

The door mooed like a cow as they entered. The twins were currently assisting a group of four kids they didn't know, all of whom looked rather confused as the shortest of them was fed a Fever Fudge from the Skiving Snackboxes. His face turned a flushed red with the sudden fever, sorely freaking out his friends until Fred-or-George fed him the opposite end and he was back to normal.

"Just a little joke, gents, just a little joke." George-or-Fred said reassuringly. "We've tested all our products repeatedly, the effects are almost never permanent."

A kid with a long black ponytail swinging under a blue bandana said something in a language they couldn't understand. It was, however, easily interpreted as, "_ALMOST_ never?!" by the look on his face.

About that point, Fred-or-George spotted the others at the door.

"Eh, Fred!" Oh. George. "Lookie here! It's our favorite little brother!"

"I'm your only little brother." Ron said automatically.

Fred came over while George rang up a few Canary Creams and a Skiving Snackbox for a boy in a yellow baseball cap. "Welcome to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." he winked. "Can I help you?"

Hermione was still looking around the store in awe. "You guys really are doing well, aren't you?" she breathed. "This is amazing…"

"Thank ye kindly." George mentioned as the four kids exited the store.

"Glad you like it, Hermione." Fred reached around and picked up a random banana from a bowl of fruit and pealed it. "Of course, we couldn't have done it without liberal financial help."

Ron and Hermione both glanced at Harry, who shrugged and busied himself with some of the items on the shelf. He picked up a feather quill, which suddenly wiggled out of his hand and started tickling him under the nose.

"You guys are getting really good at this." he mentioned, trying to bat it away before he sneezed.

Hermione had found something called Pop-Out Storybooks and were looking at them in interest, until one suddenly fired a suction-cup arrow at her that stuck to her forehead. Ron was watching the frog in the window as it did back-flips to past the time during commercials. Fred had finished the banana and was currently hiccupping green, red and purple bubbles.

"So…" George brushed his hands off. "See anything you like?"

****

They left the shop with their arms full. Ron and Harry had both loaded up on fireworks and fake wands, while Hermione had a few of the Pop-Out Books to show her parents.

When he arrived back in the room, Harry found Hedwig waiting for him with a short reply message from Tonks.

Wotcher, Harry!

Hope you're enjoying the Alley. Your owl here's quite smart, followed me around until I took your message. Didn't realize it was her until somewhere 'round Kent. Can't say much at the moment, though, I'm sort've settling in for a new assignment for Dumbledore. Speaking of which, this year should be quite interesting around Hogwarts… But sorry, Harry, I'm not gonna spoil it for you. You'll just have to wait until Dumbledore makes the announcement!

Hope you have a good trip, and I'll be seeing you around.

Tonks

TBC…

Ack…the ending really sucked. The next chapter will be better, I promise!!

And I'm mean…They didn't meet yet, heh heh!


	8. On The Way To Platform 9 34

Heh heh! They finally ran into each other! Took forever…but they made it! And don't worry... The Takumi and another (surprise) paring I have planned will show up after a while. After they all get settled into school, I mean.

****

Disclaimer: You know I don't own Digimon…And do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?!

Chapter 8: The Way To Platform 9 3/4

Kouji woke up the next day to a very unfamiliar weight pressing down on his chest, a very unfamiliar rumbling sound filling his ears, and a very unfamiliar ticking sensation under his chin.

He groaned a bit, batting at the fuzzy bits under his chin. The response was a sharp pinch on the finger and he sat up with a yelp.

Yugure flopped off his chest and into his lap, flipping over in mid-fall to land on her feet. She looked up at Kouji and gave a cheery meow, as though to say "Good morning."

Kouji blinked at her blurredly a moment, then leaned down a little to look at the animal more closely. "What are you doing here?"

There was a chuckle from the other side. Yugure suddenly sat up and sprung to the opposite, already-made bed. Kouichi pulled his jacket the rest of the way on and reached over to stroke the cat pleasantly.

"I think she likes you, Kouji." he mentioned as the cat butted up against his hand, purring. "Decided to give you a wake-up call so you wouldn't be late."

"You're up early." Kouji muttered, getting out of bed and grabbing his comb from the dresser table.

"Actually, it's 9 o'clock." Kouichi mentioned, starting to pack his textbooks into his trunk. "We've got two hours before the train leaves for school, remember?"

"Then how long have you been up?" Kouji asked blankly. Usually, _he_ was the one who woke up early, and Kouichi slept in to the closest possible time. The older brother tended to be more of a night owl.

"Tom came by and woke us all two hours ago, remember?" Kouichi stifled a bit of a yawn. "We both rolled over and went back to bed…I just got tired of sleeping sooner than you did."

Kouji threw his comb at him. Kouichi, expecting something along those lines, caught it in one hand and tossed it into his brother's trunk as Kouji grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.

An hour and a half later, the trunks were stuffed to the brim with spell books, wizard robes, muggle clothes, and various other supplies, Yurei was put back in his cage and Kouichi somehow managed to coax Yugure into a wickerwork basket the woman in the pet store had supplied. The twins carried their things down to the lobby, turned in their keys, and waited.

Ten minutes later they were joined by Kenkyo and Izumi, and fifteen minutes after them came Junpei, Takuya and Tomoki. After a short squabble over whose fault it was that the last three were ten minutes late, they headed for King's Cross Station.

"Come on now." Kenkyo said brightly as they came through the doors of the trains station a short time later. "Step lively, and try to stay together. Platform 9 3/4 is an unusual place, you know. You can only find it if you know the trick…"

"You can hide something _here_?!" Takuya nearly exclaimed, trying to force his way past a group of travelers, pushing his trunk its Muggle-style trolley. "There're so many…_people_! And why can't we just shrink these things like we did before?"

"Because, Kanbara-san." Kenkyo turned and smiled at him brightly. "You're going off to school, of course! People would be suspicious if they saw six students heading off with nothing but a few animals! Now, let's see…we're at Platform 7, so it should be right over here…"

The group slipped after her as quickly as possible, without running down any passerby. It was hard, with their trunks and everything, they had to shift to a somewhat single-file line to get through.

Kouichi, at the end of said line, was concentrating on making it past a group of older tourists when a loud meow suddenly broke his thoughts. Yugure had somehow undone the latch on her basket and suddenly leapt out, pausing a moment on his shoulder before jumping away. The boy spun around just as the black animal slipped into the crowd.

"Ah…" he sighed, abandoning his cart to go after his cat. "Yugure, come back here!"

He caught up to her in a gang of kindergarteners, who were giving the animal all the attention she could ever want. Kouichi gathered her up in his arms, thanked the kids in a very small whisper and returned where they'd come from.

"Did you just _want_ me to chase you, or what?" he muttered to her. Yugure just snuggled a bit more into his arms with a content purr. Kouichi sighed. "You can't just go running off like that, you'll get lost…"

He left off as he got back to the cart. There was something missing…His items were all there, that was easy to see, what was missing was the rest of the group.

"Oh no." he put Yugure back into the basket, then hurried in the direction they'd gone in. He passed Platform 8...Platform 9...10...11...

Nine and three-quarters, he reminded himself. Kenkyo said that the train would be at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He turned the cart around and went back through the platforms, pausing between nine and ten. There were a few stone pillars, but nothing that looks even vaguely like the train for a wizarding school.

What had Kenkyo said? _"You can only find it if you know the trick…"_ What trick? Had she done something back where he'd lost them, that got them all to 9 3/4?

He wheeled his trunk back one more time, going back the way he came and keeping his eyes pealed for anything unusual. Nothing. He went back up the station, then down again, checking even more carefully. Still nothing.

Once again outside Platform 8, he paused to adjust the strap on Yugure's and checked a large wall clock. It was 10:30.The train was leaving in thirty minutes. He _had _to find that platform!

The only problem was, he had no idea how…

. . . . . .

They'd actually woken up on time that morning, which was why they made it to King's Cross at 10:35, at least twenty minutes earlier than usual. So they had a nice chance to take their time, even if being in close proximity with so many Muggles made Mrs. Weasley more than a little nervous.

"Come on, boys, step to it." she instructed, waving her hand at Ron and Harry, who were lagging behind. "If we can get there early, you can all find a good place on the train."

Hedwig gave a slight hoot, disgruntled at being stuck in her cage. Harry tossed her a few owl treats, not being able to control the cart with only one hand for long. Mrs. Weasley reached over and adjusted Ginny's hat, and then tightened the strap on Hermione's trunk a bit.

"Just a bit more." she sighed, looking up at the plastic sign indicating Platform Seven. "Why it had to be _Nine_ and Three-Quarters, I don't know. Considering how hard it is to move around this place, with all the Muggles, it could be so much easier just going to a closer one, like Platform Four and Two-Eighths or something along those lines…"

"Excuse me."

Mrs. Weasley suddenly stopped, a bit surprised at the unfamiliar voice that was hailing her. A teenage boy they didn't recognize was wheeling a cart over, not quite making eye contact. He was about Harry's size and build, and, from the state of the Muggle clothes he was wearing, not a lot higher on the social ladder than the Weasleys when it came to money. His hair was not-quite-short and black, but an odd kind of black that looked almost blue in the bright lights of the station. His eyes were a deep navy blue, though they could hardly see them, he wouldn't look directly at them. He was, rather, staring at a black cat that was sticking its head out of a wickerwork basket on top of his trunk.

"Oh…Yes, dear?" Mrs. Weasley said kindly. "How can I help you?"

The boy shifted slightly, brushing hair away from his eyes nervously. Harry noticed that he wore something like a navy blue hearing aid planted in his right ear.

"I…I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am." he muttered, with a slightly shaky movement that was unmistakably a bow. "But…Could you please tell me the way to Platform 9 3/4? I've been…separated…from my group, and I don't know how…"

"How to get there? Well, naturally, it is tricky the first time. Hogwarts, of course?" A smile spread over Mrs. Weasley's face. "You can come with us, we'll be glad to show you. It's almost lonely without a big group, anyway. Just come along, now."

The boy seamed just a mite surprised, but recovered quickly with another fast bow. "Th-Thank you, ma'am." he murmured nervously, turning his cart slightly to follow her.

"No trouble at all, dear. No trouble at all." she nodded, obviously both flattered and a bit curious about the boy's manners. "And my name is Molly Weasley. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mrs.…Weasley?" the boy whispered, obviously connecting the face (or voice) with the name it belonged to.

"That's right." her smile widened a bit as she reached over to put her hand on Ron's shoulder. "And this is my youngest son, Ronald…he's going into 6th year…and my daughter Ginny, going into 5th."

"Hi." Ginny said cheerfully, waving.

"'Ello." echoed Ron.

The boy didn't say anything, just nodded his head in what could have been another bow.

"And these two are close friends of the family." Mrs. Weasley nodded towards the remaining two. "Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

The newcomer did a slight double-take at the last name, but he was either too shy to do anything else, or more concerned with not being rude. He just lowered his head a bit, muttering, "Pleased to meet you." once again.

Mrs. Weasley obviously thought he was just being shy, so she reached over to get his attention. "And what's your name, dear?"

"It's…Kouichi."

Hermione blinked. "Koo-ee-chee?" she pronounced carefully.

"Yes…Kimura…ah." he seamed a bit confused for a moment, then tried again. "Um…Kouichi Kimura. I'm…pleased to meet you."

Harry wondered briefly why he had stumbled on his own name. Hermione smiled, pulling her cart up to walk next to the newcomer's. "It's nice to meet you, Kouichi." she said brightly. "I know you're going to like Hogwarts. It's an amazing place."

If anything, Kouichi's shyness seamed even worse when speaking to girls. He just mumbled slightly and looked down at his feet.

Ginny, up at the front next to her mother, looked back at him pointedly. "You look too old to be a first-year." she pointed out. "What year are you in?"

Kouichi thought a moment, lifting his head a bit when he muttered. "…Sixth."

Harry, Hermione and Ron all jumped a foot. "You're kidding!" Ron exclaimed.

"I've never seen you around before!" Hermione added.

"Which House are you in?" Harry quickly finished the joint train of thought.

Kouichi stared at them blankly. "Um…'House'?" he asked, confused. "What do you mean…'House'?"

Now it was the group's turn to stare at him blankly. His eyes darted back towards the floor and he shifted uncomfortably. "I-I'm sorry…" he stammered. "It's just that…It's my first…I've never been in England before. It's my first time…I'm a bit confused…"

"'First Time'?" Ron echoed.

"Where were you before?" Harry asked.

"…Japan." he said quietly. "Shibuya, actually…It's an area of Tokyo."

"Then why are you coming to Hogwarts?" Hermione pressed immediately. "Shouldn't you be learning magic in Japan?"

Kouichi shifted some more, obviously not comfortable with this much attention. "M-My friends and I…we're, um…I believe the right term is 'studying abroad'. We're staying here in England for a year…"

"An Exchange program?" Hermione started to get excited. "At Hogwarts? Oh, wow! There hasn't been any exchange students for…three hundred years! It must be terribly exciting…"

"Here we are!" Mrs. Weasley announced, much to Kouichi's visible relief. They stood at the pillar between Platforms 9 and 10. Mrs. Weasley came over and put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder.

"It's very simple, dear." she nodded with a smile. "Just walk directly at the divider between nine and ten here."

Kouichi looked more confused than ever. "That's it?"

"That's it." she smiled. "Ron, Ginny, why don't you two go first, all right?"

"Sure, Mum." Ron waved Ginny forward, and they both started for the barrier. They looked like any normal pair of siblings, moving past the Muggles and talking brightly, before coming to rest against the stone pillar. Ron leaned against it idly, pretending to listen to a joke his sister was telling, then they both slipped into the Platform and disappeared.

Kouichi blinked and rubbed his eyes, before snapping a hand out to hold back his cat before she jumped after the missing two. Mrs. Weasley nodded, turning back.

"You see? It's that easy." she contemplated a moment. "Harry, why don't you and Kouichi here go on ahead? Hermione and I will be right behind you, okay?"

"Sounds good." Harry nodded, looking to the other boy. "Right?"

"Um…Sure." Kouichi muttered, nodding slightly. He pulled his cart just behind Harry's, re-fastening the latch on his cat's basket.

Harry glanced back at him encouragingly, heading directly for the platform at a brisk pace. Kouichi followed, not as certainly. Harry turned back towards the pillar, trying to think of something to say.

"So…Are you excited about this Exchange Program thing?"

"Um…Sort've." Kouichi muttered. "I'm a…bit nervous…"

"Don't be. It's really not so bad…" Harry slid through the barrier rather quickly, reaching back to pull in a rather surprised exchange student.

The large, bright red engine was already parked at the platform, spewing out smoke from its stack. The train stretched further back than either of them could see, and Kouichi looked visible impressed.

Ginny and Ron were waiting for them, while Mrs. Weasley and Hermione appeared from behind. The red-haired woman smiled, wiping her brow. "Welcome to Platform 9 3/4."

Before anyone could say anything more, a new voice suddenly rang forward. "Kouichi-kun!"

The boy snapped his head up. A blonde girl, whom Harry recognized from the Quidditch store in Diagon Alley, was running up to them with a flushed look on her face.

A expression of relief passed over Kouichi's face, along with a real, if very small, smile. "Izumi-san." he said softly. The cat in his basket meowed joyfully, having once again undone her latch.

The girl ran up with a smile on her lips. "I'm so glad you made it! We were worried you weren't going to get through the barrier in time…"

"I got a lot of help…" he muttered, motioning his head in Harry's direction.

Izumi looked rather surprised, but she recovered quickly and smiled again. "Oh…Thank you very much." she bowed quickly, though she crossed her hand in front of her, where Kouichi had held them at his sides. "I'm sorry I can't introduce myself properly, but Kenkyo-sensei needs to see you, Kouichi-kun. She's about to leave any minute now."

"Right…We should go." Kouichi followed after her with the cart, then suddenly slid to a stop. He turned around and faced the group again with another, deeper bow. "Thank you very much. I hope to see you again at school."

The group watched as the two exchange students disappeared. Mrs. Weasley sighed, brushing off her hands. "Alright then…let's get you all set up now."

****

TBC…

- In Japan, everyone bows, weather they're greeting, saying thank you, or asking for forgiveness. However, men bow with their arms straight at their sides, while women fold their hands just in front of them.

- Next chapter you get to see the DADA teacher for the first time! Just wait and see!


	9. Riding the Hogwarts Express

Don't worry, guys. I'm using the English names for the Digimon, since I don't know the Japanese ones any better than the rest of you…Oh, and the Kouichi-no-eye-contact thing doesn't have anything to do with culture. He's just shy…really shy.

I know there were other questions asked, but I'm not on the computer with the internet, so I'll try to remember next time.

**__**

Disclaimer: You know I don't own Digimon…And do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?!

****

Chapter 9: Riding The Hogwarts Express

"Heave-ho." Junpei, Takuya and Kouji lifted Kouichi's trunk into the back of the last car. One last shove from the oldest transfer and it was secure.

Takuya leaned back and took off his hat a moment, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He glanced at Kouji out of the corner of his eye and grinned.

"Remember what happened the last time we were on a train no one else could reach?"

Kouji not-so-subtly knocked his goggle-wearing friend up the side of the head with the flat of his hand, but there was a passive grin on his face. The others mirrored the expression.

The train's whistle shrieked a warning, there was only five minutes before departure time. Kenkyo cleared her throat. "Okay, guys and gal. A quick warning: If you get into any trouble at Hogwarts, _I'll_ be the one who hears about it, and the detention will be _nothing_ compared to what's waiting for you at the shrine. Get it?"

"Got it." Takuya nodded.

"Good." the whistle blared again, and Kenkyo gave Tomoki a slight tap on the back of the shoulder. "Now get on the train, all of you, don't want to get left behind…Oh, and Kimura-san…"

"Yes ma'am?" Kouichi turned back as Izumi jumped into the train.

Kenkyo reached into the sleeve of her robe and produced a small, circular flask filled with some kind of translucent-blue potion. There were graduated marks along the side of the bottle.

She handed it to him with a very serious expression. "If you start getting a head-ache on the train, take a couple of sips of this." she instructed, not exactly companionate but with visibly good intent. "Then, when you get to school, you'll want to drink a glass a day for a week, then half a glass each night for the next week. It should help you adjust to the innate magic within the school boundaries. Understand?"

Kouichi nodded, taking the bottle and slipping it into a pocket of his carry-on bag. Kenkyo smiled. "Good. Now get going."

The last transfer jumped onto the train not a moment too soon. The whistle blew one last time and the engine began to pull away from the hidden platform. Kenkyo stood on the edge, waving good-bye.

"Have a good term!" she called. "And Kanbara-san…_Stay out of trouble_!!"

****

. . . . . .

Harry watched the platform disappear out the window, then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. It'd seamed like the summer had taken forever, but here he was…finally going back to Hogwarts. After the living hell Umbridge had made it last year, he was rather looking forward to a nice, normal semester. Well, as normal as a place like Hogwarts ever got.

He turned back towards the compartment. Ginny had gone off with Luna Lovegood and a couple of other fifth-year girls. Hermione and Ron, prefects as they were, were down at the first car getting their yearly 'orders'. He was sure Hermione was enjoying herself, but Ron was probably bored out of his wits.

He went back to looking out the window. London was rushing by now, the buildings nothing but blurs as they sped past. He wondered vaguely how Number 12 Grimmauld Place and the Noble and Ancient House of Black was holding up with its only heir dead…

He promptly shoved that particular train of thought into the very back of his head.

He tried to let his mind wander for a little while. He thought about the Weasley's new store and how well they seamed to be doing. He thought about the boy they'd met in the station…Kouichi, he'd called himself…and wondered if the transfers would be sorted with the first-years at the banquet tonight.

And then he thought about Voldemort, and his mind registered on the large, moving black thing he'd seen on Privet Drive.

He'd completely forgotten about it. He hadn't told Mrs. Weasley, or Lupin, or even Ron and Hermione. What on Earth could it have been? Was it some new spell that Voldemort was trying? Or some kind of mutated monster…?

The door slid open and a harried-looking Ron and Hermione entered. Hermione took the seat next to the window, leaning her forehead against the cool glass, while Ron plopped down next to Harry.

"Phew…" he gasped. "One more lecture from the Head Boy and I might scream…"

"Who is it this year?" Harry asked.

"A Ravenclaw. Mathew Ellsworth." Hermione said automatically. "And Head Girl's a Hufflepuff…That nice, smaller girl, Heather Lovett. They make for quite an… interesting… leadership."

As usual, Harry had no idea who they were.

"It was the usual talks." Hermione muttered. "Although they did brief us on what to do if there was any sort of crisis…"

"'Crisis' as in Voldemort." Harry concluded. His friends both nodded, and Ron shuddered just the slightest bit. "Do they really think he'll come to Hogwarts?"

"No." Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a book. "But they can't be too careful."

Ron leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Still…It'll be nice to be back, huh?" he sighed. "Maybe this year we can make it through without all the life-and-death situations…"

The dark shape on Privet Drive crept into his mind once again, and Harry leaned forward. "By the way…There's something I need to tell you guys…"

"Janpu, get back here!"

All three of them jumped at that shout. Through their open door came a large, green frog, leaping forward as though he was making a break for it and landing at Ron's feet. He was followed by a boy with brown hair and eyes, dressed in orange and yellow, who launched himself from the compartment across the hall and snatched the animal in mid-dive. He took with it Ron's left shoe, which was yanked off as the new boy slid into the wall.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed with a satisfied laugh, clutching the bright green thing in both hands. "Thought you could get away from me, huh?"

The frog croaked disdainfully, upset at being caught. Harry, Hermione and especially Ron stared at the boy blankly for a moment. He continued lying on the floor, blinking up at them, until he noticed the shoe caught in his right elbow.

"Er…Sorry." he said awkwardly, handing it back to Ron and starting to slide down so he could stand back up. Harry noticed another hearing-aid…thing…in his ear.

An annoyed sigh came from the door. "Takuya, I swear, you don't have a brain to your body."

Harry blinked, and opened his mouth to identify the one in the door as Kouichi Kimura…but then he realized that he wasn't. His hair was a darker, purer black, and quite a bit longer, tied in a pony tail like Bill Weasley's. There was a blue bandana holding the bangs away from the same navy blue eyes. He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, frowning at his friend.

"Aw, lighten up, Kouji." Takuya rolled his eyes, getting up. "It's not like I hurt anybody."

Kouji opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a female voice from the cabin behind him. "Don't start, you two. It's too early."

The blonde girl from before…Harry tried to remember her name and came up with 'EE-zoo-me'…came out of the compartment across the hall, giving the boy Koo-gee a slight tap on the shoulder to move out of the way. He slipped back where she had come from, sitting down. She gave them a slight bow, helping the orange-clothed boy to his feet.

"Sorry about that. Takuya-kun gets a little…hyper…when he's cooped up."

"Hey!" Tah-koo-yah protested, but then Izumi straightened her bow and realized who she was talking to.

"You're…" a wide grin spread over her face, and she turned back to the compartment. "Isn't this a coincidence! Kouichi-kun! It's your friends from the station!"

There was a noise of some sort of confusion. Izumi opened the compartment doors all the way to show that the quiet blue-haired boy was sitting next to the window, an odd look on his face. He turned just a little pink, giving Harry a very small smile and dropping his eyes down.

"…Hello." he muttered in a very quiet tone. "Thank you again for your help before…"

"No problem." Harry grinned supportively. Jeez, this guy was either gravely shy or under a permanent _Quietus_ charm. You had to strain you ears just to hear his voice.

Izumi was now trying to figure out a way back to her seat, but it wasn't easy. Kouichi and the boy who looked like him were on one side, with a bag stuffed into the last seat marking Takuya's spot. On the other side were two boys with brown hair, one younger and smaller, the other older and quite a bit bigger through the waist. And, unfortunately, though they were all slightly smaller than the usual occupants, they didn't all quite fit.

"Oooh, _Junpei_!!" Izumi rolled her eyes, elbowing the larger boy to get him out of her seat. "I wish this compartment was larger or something, I can't imagine being cramped up like this the rest of the trip…"

"Then why are you blaming me?" the boy demanded.

Hermione cleared her throat. "We have room in this one." she interrupted. "A couple of you could move over here, if you'd like."

Izumi looked up. "You don't mind?" the three shook their heads. "Thank you! Come on, Takuya-san, let's give the twins a little room to breathe…"

She grabbed Takuya by the arm and pulled him across the small (barely a meter wide) corridor. She took the seat next to Hermione with a smile and Takuya, shrugging, sat next to Ron.

Izumi turned to the other girl with a large grin. "I'm sorry, I never properly introduced myself before. I'm Izumi Orimoto. I'll be turning sixteen soon, so I guess that makes me a sixth year around here."

"Jeez, Izumi, just tell them your blood type why don'tcha?" the boy in orange muttered.

"Takuya…" she muttered threateningly.

He grinned, tipping his hat back. "My name's Takuya. Takuya Kanbara. Nice to meet you." he nodded back towards the opposite compartment, the occupants turned slightly to face them. "The big guy over there's Junpei Shibuyama, the oldest of our little group…and the little one next to him is Tomoki Himi."

Tomoki grinned at them with a cheery, "Hi!" Junpei gave a slight wave and a smile, digging for something in his bag.

"And I guess you already know Kouichi-kun over there." Izumi nodded to the boy by the window. "But the one next to him is Kouji. They're twins, if you can't tell at a glance."

Kouji gave a very small wave with an indifferent look on his face. Seeing the two of them next to each other, Harry couldn't believe he'd gotten them confused. Sure, their faces were exactly the same, and they were both very quiet, but it seamed to be for different reasons…Kouji gave off the air of being untrusting and was radiating self-confidence, but Kouichi's silence was defiantly caused by pure shyness and self-doubt…bit like Neville, actually, but with a less pathetic feel.

Hermione smiled. "It's nice to meet all of you." she said, very politely. Harry wondered if she was mimicking Kouichi from the train station as a way to act. "My name is Hermione Granger."

That got her a few confused looks, except from Kouichi, who was staring out the window, and Kouji, who merely looked a tad bit curious.

"Hir…Her-my-own-ee?" Izumi pronounced carefully.

"Yes, that's right." Hermione nodded.

Izumi's face spread into a grin and she clapped her hands in front of her. "Oooh, that is such a pretty name! I've never heard it before…"

"Neither has anyone else…" Ron muttered to Harry under his breath, then turned to Takuya. "I'm Ron Weasley, by the way. Think I may have seen you in my brother's shop."

"Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?" Takuya's grin widened. "Oh yeah, that was a blast. Kouji didn't like it though…Not enough humor in him."

Kouji lobbed something that looked like a pencil across the hall. It bounced off the lens of Takuya's goggles, then fell out the door and rolled down the corridor. Takuya just laughed at the prank and turned back to Harry.

"I don't think we know who you are yet." he said brightly. "Don't think that's quite fair, is it?"

Harry grinned, quite enjoying this boy. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Izumi snapped her head up, sending long strands of blonde hair into Hermione's face, Tomoki's shot around, and Junpei dropped his bag with a clatter. Even Kouji reacted, his eyebrows shooting up very suddenly. Kouichi didn't really respond, just continued staring out the window.

Takuya rubbed his head, looking very confused. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Izumi nearly fell off the chair. She, Junpei and Tomoki all wore identical looks of disbelief, and Kouji's face was more than a little annoyed. "Takuya-san…" Tomoki groaned.

"You really are a world class dunce." Kouji rolled his eyes.

"What? What did I say?" Takuya asked blankly.

Izumi straightened, leveling her glare at him. "You didn't pay attention to Kenkyo-sensei's History lessons at all, did you?"

Takuya's face went blanker than ever. "We had history lessons?"

Izumi groaned loudly, joined by all the transfers save Kouichi. Hermione, Harry and Ron stared at them, half-amused and half immensely confused. Junpei reached across the corridor and grabbed him by the arm. "Let's see if this jogs your memory: _Motarasu Konton no Makasu_."

Takuya's face registered suddenly in surprise. "You're pulling my leg, right?!"

Hermione blinked. "Moe-tar-se…what?"

The transfers glanced at each other, then Izumi spoke. "_Motarasu Konton…_ It's our name for…" she gritted her teeth. "_Him_. The literal translation, I believe is… 'Bringer of Chaos'. _Makasu_ means 'to defeat', so, put it together and it's 'The One Who Defeated The Bringer of Chaos'…It's just a title."

Ron was confused. "It's a long title." he said. "You sure make a big deal out of it, don't you?"

"Not too different from around here, is it?" Hermione said briskly with a smile. "All the You-Know-Who and Boy-Who-Lived hype is the same…It's just a different language."

Tomoki cocked his head, looking at Harry. "You want us to stop talking about it?" he asked. "We will, you know. It's not polite to go on and on about stuff like that."

Harry was just a tad bit surprised, but nodded blankly. Takuya leaned back in his seat with a wide yawn. "Yeah, it's depressing anyway…Let's talk about something more useful, like what the heck is a 'house'?"

That explanation lasted a good half an hour, going through the sorting process and the difference between the houses and their histories. The Transfers seamed to be paying very close attention, but Hermione quite wisely stopped Ron's rant on the evils of Slytherin before it got _too _out of hand.

From there the topic switched to the translation charms they were all wearing, to comparing Hogwarts uniforms with the garuken and sailor fuku of the Japanese, to school and the slight differences between cultures. Hermione was fascinated by the way Japanese wizards were taught, in their after-school 'cram sessions' at local shrines, but Ron was confused.

"Why couldn't they just have a place like Hogwarts somewhere? It wouldn't be that hard, would it?"

"Oh, Ron, don't be silly." Hermione's eyes gleamed with a familiar interest. "Japan is far to small to hide a huge place like Hogwarts, especially seeing that it's the pinnacle of Muggle technology…"

"Why does that make any difference?" Harry asked, as blank as Ron.

"_Because_ Hogwarts knocks out every Muggle device within seventy-five miles!" Hermione said, obviously quite proud of herself for knowing that. "Even Japan's largest island is only about three hundred miles across, and it's densely populated with Muggles, too. There's now place to have it without risking discovery."

"Makes more sense than what Kenkyo told us." Takuya muttered under his breath.

"She said the exact same thing, it was just more technical." Izumi corrected. To Hermione, she said. "You're pretty much right, the smaller shrines don't project as much energy. It's just enough to cause little glitches in cell-phone connections and things like that during practice."

There was a slight growl from across the corridor. Junpei laughed awkwardly as he stomach let out a second one. "Okay, enough talk like that…I'm hungry. When's lunch?"

"You're always hungry." Tomoki piped up from next to him.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Junpei…" Takuya's stomach growled as well. "We haven't eaten all day."

Harry was trying very hard not to laugh. "The snack cart should be coming around soon." he mentioned. "They've got all sorts of stuff, you can get something then."

"In the meantime…" Izumi reached into her carryon bag. "Kenkyo-sensei and I made a little something this morning."

She pulled out a long, triangular package, undoing the wrappings around it to reveal several white triangles with rounded edges.

Junpei perked up instantly. "Rice balls!"

Ron was confused. "But they aren't balls."

"We know that." Takuya grinned, taking one of the triangles. "It's just the translation charms again. The proper term is _Onigiri_, but there's really no right English was of saying it."

"Want to try one?" Izumi held them out to the others. "They're all pretty mild, so you might want to try the salmon first…"

Hermione took one and bit into it. She made a bit of a face. "It's…interesting." she admitted after a while. "Not exactly bad, but…interesting."

Harry reached over and took one. The transfers were each rather enjoying thiers, so he figured they couldn't be too bad. And Hermione was right, it was rather interesting. That was the only word for this odd white-rice-and-fish-taste that filled his mouth. Interesting.

"Kouichi-kun, do you want one?" Izumi asked. He was the only transfer who hadn't taken one, and he didn't respond at all. "Kouichi-kun?"

Tomoki got up and crossed over to him. He leaned down so their faces were level, then straightened with a sigh. "He's asleep again."

"Again?" Takuya exclaimed. "Jeez, is something wrong with him? He's never slept this much before, has he?"

Kouji finished his onigiri, reaching over to tap his brother on the shoulder. "Nii-san." he said, shaking him gently. "Nii-san. Wake up. Come on, Nii-san."

Ron leaned over to Takuya. "What's he saying?"

"'Nii-san." Takuya swallowed a mouthful of rice. "'Dearest Older Brother' It's just a nickname, lots of people use it. My younger brother calls me the same thing."

"Nii-san." Kouji gave him a bit more forceful shake. "Wake _up_."

His brother turned his head, opening his eyes blurrily. "What is it?"

Kouji sighed. "Come on, Nii-san, you can't sleep the whole way there."

"Why not?"

"If you do that, you'll be up all night." Izumi said brightly. "Then you'll be all tired tomorrow, and that's when we start class. You can't fall asleep on your first day, after all."

Kouichi gave a slight yawn and sat up fully, stretching. Izumi handed him a rice ball to wake him up, and he ate rather slowly, listening rather than talking as the conversation started up again. By the time the snack cart came they'd covered the main teachers at Hogwarts and the difference between Western and Eastern wands. (There wasn't much, save the cores. Takuya and Junpei's Fireball dragon-heartstrings, a lot like the West, but Izumi and Tomoki both had Kappa tendons, while the twins had a _kitstune_ or fox-demon tail hair each.)

The cart soon rattled away, leaving them with piles of Chocolate Frogs, bags of Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and several boxes of something called Pocky, which was explained as a common Japanese snack food. It was a long, thin wafer, like a pretzel stick without salt, dipped in different kinds of flavorings. According to the transfers, normal Pocky was good, but the Wizarding kind played weird tricks like setting off small explosions in your mouth, turning your teeth different colors and making your tongue disappear. It was almost as fun as the Every Flavor Beans.

In what seamed like only a few minutes, the sun was setting outside their windows. Harry, Ron, Takuya and Izumi were now in a hot debate over Quidditch, Ron and Takuya about the teams that were playing, and Izumi comparing Harry's Firebolt with her Inazuma 300. Tomoki and Junpei were playing Exploding Snap, while the remaining three were just trying to make sure no one got hurt.

Checking her watch, Hermione declared that it was about time they all changed into their robes, and she and Izumi went down to the lavatory to do so. When they returned, both Junpei and Ron nearly fell off their seats.

Harry tried not to laugh at their reactions. He didn't know about Izumi, but he did notice that Hermione's…body…had changed more than a little over the summer, and the special cut of the wizarding robes showed it off wonderfully. He reached over and discretely closed Ron's mouth before the girls could notice.

Izumi did a slight turn in the hall. "Well? How does it look?"

Kouji kicked Junpei in the shin, snapping out of his trance. Takuya grinned. "Not bad." he smirked. "Guess Madam Malkin really does work magic."

Izumi whacked him over the head with a random book.

There was the shriek of a whistle and the train began slowing down. The lights of Hogsmeade station were starting to reflect off the window.

They'd arrived.

**__**

TBC…

Long Chapter. Really long. O.o You may all gasp now. I had a hard time figuring out what should and shouldn't go in here, and I still think my timing was way off…

Heh…Heather Lovett is the name of a good friend of mine. (She works very hard, so she'd fit in Hufflepuff…) Mathew Ellsworth is the guy our entire AAP wing was trying to set me up with last year. (Think Bill Gates with a TI-89 programmable calculator.) Just random names from my normal life…

For some reason, when I hear Hermione's voice as I write, I don't hear much of an accent, British or otherwise. Same goes for Harry and (especially) Draco Malfoy. But Ron and the rest of the Weasleys all have _very_ heavy accents…So you might find that in my writing.


	10. The Sorting Hat's Desision

No, Prof. McGonagall doesn't call out the transfers in any particular order, other than that's the way they were written when she received their information. Actually, it's just so I can get Kouichi-kun called last, for dramatic reasons…(slinks into the corner to strangle her muse for never making any sense)

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird. Oh, and I wrote the Sorting Hat's song. It's mine too.

Chapter 10: The Sorting Hat's Decision

The station was, as usual, unbelievably crowded.

Harry and the others made their way through the throng as best they could. There was a rising din from the crowds around them, catering excitedly to each other. A familiar, deep, voice sounded above them.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Come on now, let's keep it movin'."

Tomoki stumbled, caught in the wave, and ran head-first into something large, shaggy and soft. He sat there, stunned a moment, before he realized that he was half-buried in a large, black moleskin overcoat, and that whoever was wearing it was currently speaking to him.

"Eh, there. Yeh alright? Can't 'ave yeh gettin' hurt a'fore yeh even get up to the school, now can we?"

Tomoki blinked up at the giant, bewildered a moment, then jumped back. "S-Sorry." he sputtered, a bit surprised.

"Don't be. No trouble at all." the giant eyed him. "Never seen yeh before…Firs' year?"

"N-No…" Tomoki gasped, trying to remember. "I-I think I'm s-supposed to be a fourth."

"Yeh one of the Transfers?" Hagrid asked. The boy nodded dumbly, still marveling over the huge man before him. "Thought so. Well, we don't have quite enough boats for your lot as well as these. You'll be headin' over in the carriages with the rest o' the school."

Tomoki stumbled back into the crowd, then stopped to make a hasty bow. "Thank you very much, Mr.…Uh…"

"Hagrid. Fer now, jus' call me Hagrid." the giant winked at him, the turned back into the crowd. "Firs' years! Anymore firs' years? This way now, come on!"

Tomoki hurried to catch up with the others.

He found them at the entrance to the station, staring dumbfounded at the large, black carriages at they rattled down the dirt road. Several others, mostly second years, were doing the same, rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

"W-What's pulling the coaches?" Izumi gasped.

Hermione looked like she was about to answer, then Kouji spoke up. "Who says they're being pulled by anything? Maybe they run on their own, like a car on magic."

The three who had previously been to Hogwarts looked momentarily confused and relieved at the same time. Then Kouichi spoke up, in the same quiet voice as always. "What do you mean, on their own?"

"What do _you_ mean?" Takuya asked as the black carts pulled to a stop in front of them. "Do you see anything pulling these things?"

"Yes." Ron nearly fell over, but the dark-haired transfer was still staring just in front of the first cart. "Those…Those black horse things…With the wings, like Dragons or something…"

His friends looked concerned. "You sure you're feeling okay?" Junpei asked. "Maybe you're seeing things."

Hermione recovered her voice. "Kimura, you can see the thestrals?"

"Can you?" Kouichi looked a bit relieved.

"No…" his face fell a little. "But Harry can."

Now Kouji and the others looked pointedly confused. "You can?"

Harry nodded. "Since last year."

"But why?" Tomoki squinted at the carriages as other students began to climb in. "None of us can see them, so why do you…?"

"Only wizards who have seen death can see the thestrals." Hermione muttered almost ceremonially.

For a moment, Kouichi looked confused, then a slight realization dawned in his eyes. "Oh…" he muttered. "…Grandma."

It wasn't an outright lie, he truly had seen his grandmother's final breaths. But it wasn't what he, or any of the others were thinking about. He'd seen, closer and better than anyone else, what death really was…

"Anyway…" Ron cleared his throat. "Let's get in before everyone leaves us behind. We don't want to be late."

They managed to find two empty carts, where they stumbled on a problem. The carriages were made for four, and as soon as said fourth person entered, the doors slammed shut and it took off. The transfers found this out the hard way, as Kouji tried to get in after Takuya and was knocked back to the ground by the slamming doors.

Izumi leaned out the window and shouted as the twins left behind. "We didn't do it, I swear!"

"Right…" Kouji groaned, as his brother helped him back to his feet.

Harry leaned out of their cart. "One of you can come with us." he called. "We've still got one seat left."

"No thank…" Kouji started, but Kouichi cut him off.

"Kouji, go on." he urged. "There are only a few carts left, who knows if any of them have two places?"

He pointed off where the last three carts were waiting. "See? There's one right here I can get into. And it's going to be, what, a ten-minute ride?"

Kouji faltered. "Nii-san…"

"We'll be fine." Kouichi smiled. "Now come on, go."

Kouji gave in and climbed into the cart, but he hesitated a moment in the door as his brother approached another carriage. He muttered something to the people inside, seamed to be accepted, and climbed in. The door slammed shut.

Kouji sighed and sat down, as both doors slammed and the carriage took off with the rest of them.

"…A little nervous, are we?" Ron asked with a slight grin.

The black-haired boy leveled a gaze at him. "I get…a little anxious, when we're separated." he muttered curtly. "In case you didn't notice, he's not exactly the social type…"

"Relax." Hermione smiled. "There's no reason to worry. It's not like any of the students are psychopaths…"

"Right…" Ron hissed in Harry's ear. "Any of the _students_."

****

. . . . . .

About ten minutes later, they arrived outside the front entrance of Hogwarts. Kouji, unsurprisingly, hovered at the side of the stairs for his brother. Harry sighed, pausing next to him, while Ron and Hermione stopped a slight ways up.

Kouji looked up at him coolly. "You can go on."

"I know." Harry shrugged. "We just want to make sure you two get in okay. It's easy to get lost around here…"

Hermione suddenly frowned. "Oh, dear…"

"What?" Harry turned back and frowned as well.

Kouichi was climbing out of a carriage, followed by two large, burly boys in green-trimmed uniforms, who were accompanying a smaller one with greased, white-blonde hair. He was talking to the transfer with a grin on his pale face, looking very pleased with himself, though Kouichi…as usual…was having trouble responding.

"Malfoy." Ron spat.

Kouji's eyes shot to him. "You know that guy?"

"Too well." Harry muttered.

Kouichi looked up about that time, smiling when he spotted his brother. "Kouji!" he called, and hurried up the steps to join him. "See? I told you we'd all get here okay."

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sauntered up the steps in an odd kind of formation. The two groups eyed each other venomously, with the twins between them looking rather awkward. For a short time, no one said a word.

"Potter! Malfoy!" Prof. McGonagall, in her usual festive green robes, hair tied back in a tight bun, came striding down the steps with her most serious glare in place. "Do not cause trouble here today. Inside. Now."

Malfoy tossed his hair back with a cold, sly smirk, and motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow. Prof. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the twins. "And…you must be the last two transfers." she said quietly. "Follow me, please."

They muttered a quick goodbye to Harry and the others, then followed her into the antechamber where the first years had gathered.

As they entered the Great Hall, Ron looked up at the Head Table, scanning the teachers thoughtfully. "Darn, Snape hasn't gotten sacked yet." he muttered. "Who do you suppose they got for Defense this year?"

"Well, the new teacher is obviously the one." Hermione sighed, brushing her bangs back and scanning the Gryffindor table for a free spot. "I just hope we're not stuck with another ministry flunky this year…"

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed quite suddenly. "It's _Tonks_!!"

Harry and Hermione both snapped their heads up. He was quite right, the young Morphmagus Auror was sitting just to Snape's right, chatting merrily with Prof. Flitwick. Her hair was currently shoulder-length and curly, a bright shade of lime green, while her eyes, for one reason or another, seamed to be glowing purple.

"She's _teaching_ this year?" Ron muttered as they sat down. "Boy, I have to see how this turns out…"

Hermione frowned and opened her mouth as if to say something, but the door at the back of the room suddenly flew open, and the entire hall went silent.

McGonagall marched forward, carrying a thick roll of parchment and the old, frayed Sorting Hat in her hands. The first years, about thirty of them, filed along behind her in two lines. And at the very end was a rather taller group, the six transfers, who were kind of clustered together in a less organized fashion.

Whispers almost instantly filled the hall. "Who're those guys?"

"They don't look like they're from around here."

"Woah, that blonde is _somethin'_! What a bod!"

"Aren't they a little _old_ for first years?"

"Oooh, the guy in the back is so cute!!"

"Which one?"

"Him! That long hair…It's just so cool…"

They'd arrived at the front of the Hall. McGonagall conjured a stool forward and set the hat on it, stepping back. For a moment, no one made a sound, but then the long rip around the brim opened at the hat began to sing:

__

"From times of old I've seen the lot, they've come from far and near,

From over the land and across the sea, their paths have brought them here.

Their differences that make them great, it is my job to see,

So that I may place them where they are supposed to be.

Those who go to Gryffindor should pride themselves as brave,

While for those who work their hardest sweet Hufflepuff does save.

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest are placed above the rest,

While sly and cunning Slytherin finds ambition far the best.

So weather you came from the farthest shore, or a place that's right near by,

Just slip on this old Sorting Hat, and your place I will decide."

The school clapped and cheered as the hat fell quiet. Harry felt very relieved that the Sorting Hat did not see fit to 'warn' them this year. Maybe they'd fixed whatever was the problem.

McGonagall strode forward and picked it up, unrolling the parchment and announcing the first new student.

Harry pulled his eyes off Tonk's new hairstyle to focus on the Sorting. The Transfers remained separate from the others, all more than a little nervous. Not that he blamed them, the entire school was staring, even through the cheers…

The Great Hall burst into applause as the last First Year took his place at the Hufflepuff table. Prof. Dumbledore stood, brushing off his long beard, and beamed merrily at his school before speaking.

"Before we continue on tonight, there is a bit more sorting to be done." he announced in a loud-yet-gently-quiet voice. "As some of you may have discovered on the train, we have several exchange students this year, joining us from the Shibuya Shrine of Tokyo, Japan." He beamed at the six lined in front of him. "Their instructors have recommended each of them with high praise, and I trust you will make them all welcome. Professor McGonagall?"

The women nodded, stepping forward once more with a new piece of parchment. She unrolled it, holding it up to the light a moment. "Entering Fourth Year." she announced. "Himi, Tomoki!"

The smallest student gulped, hurrying forward to climb up on the stool. The hat slipped down over his ears, catching on his nose instead and making a few people in the hall laugh. He sat there a moment in silence, and then…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The farthest table cheered as Prof. McGonagall helped him get the hat off, then as the smaller boy dashed over. A couple of fourth-year boys started up a conversation.

"Entering Sixth Year!" McGonagall continued. "Kanbara, Takuya!"

"Here we go." the boy whispered in a self-pep-talk, going forward.

The hat barely touched his head before it shouted. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The far table cheered again. Takuya hurried over, taking a place between Tomoki and Dean Thomas.

"Orimoto, Izumi!"

The blonde girl sat a few moments, then was proclaimed a "RAVENCLAW!"

The blue-robed table cheered as she hurried over. Harry noticed Cho Chang lean over to pat her on the shoulder.

"Minamoto, Kouji!" the twins exchanged glances of encouragement, and the younger of the two went to sit. Several girls in the hall squealed and whispered to each other excitedly.

He sat there for almost two minutes before it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Kouji went to sit between Harry and Dean, carefully avoiding both Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil to do so.

"Kimura, Kouichi!"

Ron and Harry exchanged confused glances. Why did the twins have different last names? They didn't think long, though, turning back to the front as the hat slipped over the quiet boy's eyes. Kouji was glaring at the hat, as though daring it to try and put his brother somewhere else.

Kouichi sat there a moment, hearing a gentle "Hm…Hm…" in his ear. After a moment, the sound turned into words.

"My my…Such interesting lives you transfers lead." the hat chuckled. "And difficult, your case is…I haven't had this kind of challenge in years. And a True Dark as well? Ah, such a rare sight in these parts. There's only one other in the school now…"

Kouichi held his breath, shifting a bit. The hat chuckled and continued. "Now, where to put you, where to put you? Your brother went to Gryffindor, and I'll admit that you are brave…Risking, and even sacrificing your own life in defense of your friends? Noble, indeed…But no. Gryffindor is not for you…Ravenclaw, perhaps? You are quite clever, uniquely so, along with your friend there…But no…Hufflepuff? Certainly not, silence, for whatever reason, does not live well there. Besides, you need encouragement, a fuel to your fire to spark the ambition within I sense that you have pressed dormant. And then there is the matter of the other True…yes, I think it's for the best."

"What…?" Kouichi whispered. This was taking so long, none of the others had been here this amount of time. "Where…?"

"A word of care, Kouichi Kimura." the hat whispered. "Just because you are the Darkness, does not mean you must hide in your brother's shadow."

Kouichi's eyes widened, but before he could say another word the hat gave another great announcement…

"SLYTHERIN!!"

**__**

TBC…

…Please don't hurt me. I have reasons for doing this, I swear…

Oh, and I know someone will ask why only Kouichi could see the thestrals, when they all watched him 'die' in the Digital World, and it's very simple: The entire time he was there, I think he was already dead. Remember, he was a spirit the whole time, and force great enough to pull the spirit from the body could most certainly be death…


	11. After The Sorting

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (fighting off some very angry reviewers with a broom and a broken dishpan) Don't hurt me! Please, I swear, I'm not going to make him evil!! And I really DO have many good reasons for putting him in Slytherin, I swear I do!!

And I DIDN'T forget Junpei!! (points at fic) I had the first half of this chapter written when I posted the last one! Jeez, just 'cause I accidentally left him out of the other thing I worked on…

To those of you who wish I would hurry and update some of my other fics for once: I'M TRYING, I SWEAR!!!!! It's just I can't get any ideas…Maybe some help? (really big puppy dog eyes)

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

Chapter 11: After the Sorting

Kouji had started to get a little nervous after his brother clocked in four minutes under that hat. He was certain that even he hadn't taken that long, this was nerve-racking. He tried to be logical, to tell himself it was preposterous that Kouichi would be placed anywhere else, they were twins for crying out loud. And even if he was put somewhere else, it wasn't like he could get hurt, it was only a school…A magic and potentially dangerous school, mind you, but the actual Houses couldn't be so bad…

From the back of his mind, the Sorting Hat's voice came back to him.

_"Just a small warning…"_ it had whispered to him. _"This year may prove to be very difficult for you two…Very difficult indeed…"_

After that, he was on pins and needles. He watched his brother closely, feeling an odd little prickle in the back of his head, near the base of his neck. Kouichi looked nervous, maybe a little scared, almost like he…

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat blared quite suddenly. The green-robed table across the room cheered as McGonagall lifted the hat off of Kouichi's head, leaving a very stunned-looking young man sitting on the stool. He hesitated a moment, then climbed slowly off and went to join his…'House'.

The people who knew him at Gryffindor, quite frankly, couldn't believe it. Especially Kouji, who didn't even hear McGonagall shouting "Entering Seventh Year! Shibuyama, Junpei!" in the new silence.

"Slytherin?" he heard Ron hiss to Harry, next to him. "_Slytherin_?! But…He didn't _seam_ like a Slytherin, did he?"

Kouji made a low hissing noise. Junpei hurried up to take his place under the hat.

Takuya leaned across the table. "What's so bad about it? The hat said Slytherins were ambitious…so what?"

"The thing is…" Hermione leaned across to whisper at him. "Weather they're ambitious or cunning or anything is despite the fact that _every wizard_ who's ever gone Dark at Hogwarts came from Slytherin."

Takuya looked pointedly confused. "Whattya mean 'went' dark?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kouji for an explanation. The black-haired boy just shrugged, acting indifferent, as always, though inside he was fuming.

She turned back to Takuya. "The thing is…Almost all of the wizards from Hogwarts who went over to…" she paused, not wanting to freak them out too much. "Over to _You-Know-Who_'s side came from Slytherin, and most of the ones in there now are either their children or of the same mind-set. They've turned out the more Dark Wizards per century than any other house!"

Takuya frowned, looking confused and maybe a tad bit affronted, and opened his mouth to speak. Kouji, sensing this was going into an area they didn't want to discus at the present time, kicked Takuya under the table. The other winced, biting his tongue before he could draw attention to himself.

And the hat shouted. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The rest of the hall joined the golden-robed table in cheering as the large boy sat down. Dumbledore smiled as he stood once more, still clapping along until it died down to nothing. He then placed his hands on the table and seamed to look at each person with a pleasant smile on his face.

"To our new friends…Welcome! And to our old…Welcome back! From my current viewpoint, it is almost assured that this will be a most interesting year indeed. Before we get into this luscious feast so readily prepared for us, I just need to say one thing…Tuck in!"

The hall cheered as the food appeared on their plates. Harry noticed a few odd dishes, which he could only assume were Japanese, scatter amongst the usual meats and potatoes. Among them were a large, thick bowl of some kind of beef stew, a few trays of Onigiri, like that Izumi had made, and a plate of things that looked like little white flowers.

They weren't the only odd things. Next to their usual utensils, they had a small, flat dish with a pair of thin wooden sticks sitting on it that he could only assume were some kind of eating device. There was also a small bowl accompanying each set of plates and goblets that he had no idea what it was for…until Kouji stood and opened the large cask at the end of the table, scooping some plain white rice into Takuya's, Tomoki's and his own.

Harry turned back to Ron, who had picked up his own wooden sticks and was examining them. "What on earth are these things?"

"Chop sticks." Takuya said brightly. He held a pair in his right hand, almost like two pencils at once, and clicked them together in example. "See?"

Ron tried to position his the same way, but they fell loose and clattered to the table after only a second.

Takuya laughed a bit, then reached down into a flat dish and pulled out something white and round, with black…something…circling it and an odd pink thing in the middle. He held it expertly in the chopsticks, eating it bite by bite. On the other side of the table, Kouji had some sliced, spiced chicken on his plate, which he took piece by piece with a bit of rice following each bite, not saying a word and keeping one eye on the Slytherin table.

Harry, having already eaten a bit of everything he recognized, leaned over the wider, lower-set dish. He found several small objects of different size, color and shape, almost artfully arranged so that they fitted together nice and neat.

He took his spoon and scooped out one of the round things Takuya had taken, flipping it into his hand. The outside was kind of papery, like thick lettuce, while the innermost portion was a dark, almost slimy-looking red. At least the white stuff inside the black was definitely rice, all packed in nice and tight.

Takuya watched him with an amused air as he took a large bite, all three at once. Instantly, he gagged and spat it out into his napkin. "Yuck!"

"Harry!" Hermione looked annoyed, which made him consider that he might have offended someone.

Takuya and Tomoki, however, were cracking up over their food, and even Kouji looked amused at the show. Harry gulped down some pumpkin juice from his goblet, coming up for air a moment later.

"What _is_ that stuff?" he exclaimed.

Takuya calmed down. "It's just sushi, Potter. White rice and fish…usually salmon, with that kind."

"_Raw_ salmon." Kouji mentioned off-hand. Harry gagged again.

Ron looked pale. "So what's it wrapped in?"

"Seaweed." Kouji said simply.

Harry now looked rather green.

"It's a little weird if you're not used to it." Takuya grinned, trying to be comfortingly. "But if you develop a taste for it, it's really swell." Seeing the strained look on the other boy's face, he added. "Just be happy you didn't get the wasabi."

The British-born wizards refrained from eating the oriental dishes until dinner vanished and desert appeared. There were a few unusual sweet things amongst it all, but luckily, they were only a few odd chocolate or vanilla treats and dishes of tiny spun-sugar star flakes.

Kouji glanced back at the Slytherin table as he scooped out some mint-chocolate-swirled ice cream from one of the giant blocks. Kouichi was sitting at the very end of the bench, looking rather meek and quiet amongst the chattering, green-robed housemates. Occasionally, he would nod in response to whatever the blonde from before said to him, but other than that, his attention seamed completely focused on the piece of chocolate cake he was eating.

Kouji sighed, sitting down. He wanted to talk to him…very badly, he wanted to talk…but there was too much interference here. It would never get through properly. He shook his head and started on the ice cream.

Twenty minutes later, the remains of desert faded from sight, and the hall was immediately hushed. Dumbledore stood, looking out to address the school once more.

"Now that we have all partaken in another glorious opening feast, there are a few announcements to be made before we all head off to bed." he said, with his own kind of dignity and a warm smile on his lips. "First of all, I am pleased to welcome Professor Nymphadora…" the young woman coughed slightly in annoyance, and he smiled wider. "Professor Tonks, who has agreed to take up the position of our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this coming year."

Tonks stood up to a mild applause. When she righted from a deep bow, her once lime-green hair was now a brilliant shade of sky blue, and her eyes were blazing orange. This earned her a great deal more cheers.

Dumbledore clapped as she sat down, then turned back. "Also, First Years and Transfers would do very well to note that the Forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden. By which I mean that no one…absolutely no one…is to enter it, at any time." For a moment, his eyes landed on Harry, Ron and Hermione, who glanced at each other a bit sheepishly. "Some of our older students may do well to remember that as well."

"Quidditch try-outs will be next week. If anyone is interested in playing for their house team…and I do believe there are many new openings…please see Madam Hooch. We're all looking forward to an impressive season this year."

"And finally…" a few people sighed gratefully. "There is a pressing matter I feel I must address: No one, _absolutely_ no one is to leave the school building at any time after dark. Do not wander the grounds in the moonlight, however tempting though it may be, and take care not to stray outside of our boundaries at any time. There are dangers out there…dangers which, very soon, may come frighteningly close. But as long as the school remains standing, it shall be a safe place…for everyone."

For some reason, Kouji felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of dangers. Certainly it had nothing to do with him, but the Sorting Hat's warning made him more than a little jumpy.

"Now, I do believe it is time we returned to our separate bed chambers. Prefects, please lead the first years up to your dormitories…Transfers, if you will follow as well. I doubt anyone wants to sleep here in the Great Hall, however splendid it may be. Good night, all!"

**__**

TBC…

Gee…I hope I wrote Dumbledore alright…GAH!!! (runs away from reviewers, still angry over Kouichi being in Slytherin) DON'T YOU PEOPLE EVER TAKE A BREAK?!


	12. Adjustments to Be Made

For all those who keep asking when things will show up/be explained, I have one answer: Eventually. The Digimon will appear eventually. The Yin and Yang will be explained eventually. I have everything planned out, it'll all come in…EVENTUALLY! (Most of it by Halloween…)

And to the person who keeps asking: The Takumi stuff will come in _LATER_. Okay?

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

****

Chapter 12: Adjustments To Be Made

Kouichi sighed, sitting on the windowsill next to his bed in the Slytherin dorms. It was actually quite nice down here, somewhere around the sixth level of the dungeons, the dormitory situated inside a large cliff face so that he was looking over the huge, inky black lake.

The room itself was round, its walls made of dark gray stone and decorated liberally with green and silver. It had one door, leading to the stairwell, and one window that sat directly opposite. The beds, five of them, were all made of a dark brown wood, probably oak, and had thick green curtains with silver trim. They were situated like spokes on a wagon wheel, with the head against the wall, a bed-stand next to each one holding a pitcher of water, a glass and a basin.

Speaking of glass…

He stood, crossing over to his own bed, which was just to the right of the window, and dug around in his bag. He pulled out the small vial Kenkyo-sensei had given him, pouring the liquid into the glass. The familiar smell of the _Saisei_ potion filled his nostrils…vaguely like grass after a light rain.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned slightly to find the blonde from the carriage entering the room. Draco Malfoy, his name was. Listening to him talk, Kouichi had gotten a pretty good feel of his character…rich, probably more than a little spoiled, used to getting his way and being in charge, and with the rather unfortunate attitude towards muggle-born wizards that certain pure-blood families tended to harbor, mixed with a deep rivalry against Potter.

Despite his outward 'snobbishness' (for lack of a better word) Kouichi had gotten the feeling that maybe the boy wasn't as bad as he tried to look. After all, more than a few people had labeled his own lack of speech as a sign he wasn't worth talking to…

He abruptly realized Malfoy was speaking to him, and yanked his mind back to reality. "I'm sorry…what?"

"I said, what have you got there?" Malfoy demanded, pointing at the glass in his hand. "Only in school for a few hours and already trying unauthorized potions?"

"It isn't unauthorized." Kouichi turned his back to him again and swallowed the translucent blue liquid. It tasted roughly like the fake-cherry flavored cough syrup the nurse in elementary had made him take for a cold, except this was attempting to create a blueberry flavor.

He appreciated it. Usually, this stuff tasted more like shoe polish.

"If it isn't unauthorized, why are you taking it up here by yourself?" Draco pointed out coyly.

"Because it really isn't anyone else's business." Kouichi poured some water into his glass, getting the last remains of the potion as he drank it.

"Whatever." Malfoy sniffed airily, crossing to his own bed, which was just across the room from Kouichi's own. He lay down, putting his hands behind his head before he spoke again. "They're saying in the commons that one of the Gryffindor transfers is your brother. Is that true?"

Kouichi blinked, a bit surprised, but nodded a soft yes.

"Oh, really?" Malfoy sneered. "I wouldn't go around admitting something like _that_. It's almost shameful to be related to a _Gryffindor_. Nothing but Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers there."

Kouichi felt a defensive prickle on the back of his neck. _His brother_ was _not_ a 'Mudblood', whatever that meant, and there wasn't anything wrong with Muggle-born wizards! Sure, he himself was not exactly _fond_ of the Muggle side of his heritage, but he had a good reason and he really liked Takuya's parents…

"And even when they do get someone with a half-way decent heritage…" Malfoy continued. "They're the worst kind. Those Weasleys and their lot, they're a disgrace. I can't believe they're even pure-blood, can you? The way their dad flounders over Muggles like that, and he can't even earn a decent meal…"

Pure-blood? Just how common could pure-bloods be in this part of the world? There had only been three in their class of thirty, including Izumi…

Oh. _That_ prickle wasn't defensive.

Kouichi reached into his trunk, pulling out a pair of pajamas and reaching up to grab ahold of the curtains. Malfoy noticed this and sat up. "And what are you doing?"

"It's been a long day…" Kouichi muttered. "I'm going to bed. _Onami-wa_."

With that, he slid the curtains closed and dropped face-first onto the bed. He heard Draco muttering something along the lines of, "Whatever.", then the door closed. He was alone.

For a moment he just enjoyed the warmth of the sheets combined with the darkness of his curtains. Then he sighed and started to clear his mind a bit. It was time to see what Kouji wanted…

****

. . . . . .

The Gryffindor common room was warm and pleasant, full of plush, comfy, over-stuffed arm chairs with a large fire dancing merrily in the hearth. The sixth year boy's dorms had the same feeling of comfort, with its seven red-curtained beds around a small, glowing fire.

However, the common room was crowded with dozens of students, and the dorms had people entering and exiting constantly. Neither was quiet or peaceful, and Kouji really didn't want to be interrupted. Which was why he had retreated into the boy's bathroom.

It was a western-style bath, naturally enough, but it was as large and deep as a hot spring pool. There were also several individual shower stalls, a few toilets, and about a dozen sinks with mirrors above them

Kouji stepped into one of the showers, turning on the hot water full blast. There was a small bench inside the stall, which was good. No dizzy spells.

He adjust the head of the shower so that it sprayed onto the bench. He sat down and took a deep breath of the steam, which had the potent scent of some kind of soothing herbal potion. He leaned back against the wall, clearing his thoughts before opening the link.

_"Kouichi…Can you hear me?"_

He waited about five minutes, worrying slightly that the Slytherin commons were too far away for their connection. But after a moment, he felt a gentle prickle on the back of his neck and heard his twin's voice somewhere in the rear of his mind.

_"I hear you, Kouji."_

He couldn't help but grin a bit. This talking without speaking was so common to them now, but the first time it had scared them both out of their wits. Most identical twins, at least those with magic in them, had this kind of established connection.

_"You think about that every time we do this."_ Kouichi accused jokingly.

_"Well, it was funny."_

_"Ha ha."_

Kouji at the odd sensation of breathing through a heavy cloth, then something soft pressing against his cheek. _"Where are you?"_

_"In bed."_ Ah. That explained it. His brother was lying against a pillow. _"Where are you? I smell lavender."_

_"Oh, is that what this is?"_ Kouji grinned despite himself. _"It's mixed in with the bath water."_

_"You're taking a bath?"_ Kouichi's voice sounded more than a little accusing. _"Kouji, you know that's dangerous…"_

_"Relax."_ Kouji grabbed the potion that was the equivalent of shampoo and squeezed some into his hand. _"It's a shower, not a bath, and it's got a place to sit."_

Kouichi sighed. He had been worried, of course, about their little habit… whenever they made this connection for even a little too long, one or the other of them had a tendency for very bad dizzy spells. As such, it was better to do this while sitting or lying down, and doing it while submerged in water was quite dangerous.

_"So, how is it?"_ Kouji pressed. _"Slytherin, I mean. Potter and Weasley don't seam to like them much, but how do you feel about it?"_

_"Not too bad, all things considered…" _Kouichi paused a moment, contemplating his next words. _"I've only gotten to talk to one of them, though…Draco Malfoy. You saw him, the blonde boy from the carriage this evening?"_

"Yeah…" Kouji frowned, though his twin couldn't see it, and started rubbing the potion-shampoo into his hair. It foamed up almost instantly and turned an odd shade of chartreuse. _"Potter seams to have a pretty sour history with that guy."_

"There is no love lost between them, trust me." Kouichi yawned. _"Malfoy spent half of dinner going on about how he'll 'show him up' this year…That, and beating Gryffindor in the Quidditch Cup Potter and Weasley explained to us."_

_"Don't tell Takuya about that one." _Kouji grinned a bit, washing out his hair under the water.

Kouichi laughed slightly, then was quiet a moment. Finally, his voice came again, very soft and almost fearful-sounding.

_"Kouji…do you believe in premonitions?"_

His brother blinked. _"What do you mean?"_

_"Like…dreams. Ones that…I don't know, tell the future."_

Kouji contemplated a moment. _"…Only priests get those, remember?" _he pressed. _"And even then they have all those herbs and things burning, who's to say it's not smoke-induced insanity?"_

_"…So you don't think anyone here could get one?"_

_"No." _Kouji frowned. _"Kouichi, is something wrong?"_

"…Nothing." his brother's voice sounded lighter. _"Just…tired…"_

They were both quiet a moment, as Kouji listened to his brother's breathing get steadily slower. Then, almost suddenly, the link cut off.

Kouji grinned just a little, finishing his shower. Kouichi had fallen asleep.

****

TBC…

Onami-wa - Good night


	13. Classes, Take One

Oopsies. Onami-wa is NOT goodnight, as I had it in the last chapter. That's just a mispronunciation on my part. Goodnight is actually _Oyasumi-nasai_. My bad. It's hard to remember these when you're taking Japanese over a satellite.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

****

Chapter 13: Classes, Take One

"Kouichi…"

The boy snapped his head around, squinting as best he could to see through the darkness. There were shadows moving around him, but he couldn't tell what they were. The voice had come from one of them, but he couldn't tell which one, nor could he figure out why he recognized it.…

"Who's there?" he shouted insistently, trying to see them. "What do you want? Why do you keep calling me?"

"Kouichi…" the voice called again. "Come…come…back…"

There was a sudden loud, ringing sound that cut the scene abruptly short. Kouichi jumped, then blinked blankly at the green curtains around him before realizing what the alarm meant.

It was time to wake up for breakfast.

****

. . . . . .

"More rice?" Ron said blankly. "You even eat rice for _breakfast?_"

"Yup." Takuya said brightly, then popped some rice into his mouth, followed quickly by vegetables.

"Weird…" Ron shook his head. Hermione kicked him under the table.

Kouji grinned just a little, finishing off his own bowl, and reached for the piece of parchment that McGonagall had handed him. Takuya glanced at him, at the paper in his hand, then looked at his own.

"…This is bad." he muttered after a moment. "The Hon'yakusha doesn't translate writing. And I don't read English."

Hermione glanced over his shoulder, then took the parchment and turned it the right way up.

Kouji shook his head, reaching across the table to tap Takuya's parchment with his wand. "Look, goggle-head." he muttered, though Takuya's cap and goggles were stuffed in his trunk back in the common room. "Kenkyo showed us before we left, remember? _Hon'yaku Suru, Eigo no Nihongo._"

The writing broke into separate lines, swirled around the page, and re-wrote itself in the flowing, rounded script of Hiragana. He blinked, then looked up at Kouji. "Er…Thanks. I need to remember that."

"Yeah." Kouji nodded bluntly, then went back to his meal and his schedule.

Harry pulled his own over, downing a glass of pumpkin juice. Yesterday was Thursday, so today…

"Friday." he muttered to himself, then looked up at Ron. "Care of Magical Creatures first thing, then Transfiguration. Afternoon's off."

"Yeah…Gah, we're still with the Slytherins for Hagrid's class!" Ron groaned. "Why they don't just ban Malfoy and his flunkies from Care of Magical Creatures, I don't know…"

"He's the Care of Magical Creatures Professor?" Tomoki spoke up before that particular train of thought went too far. "Hagrid-san, I mean. He's a teacher?"

"Since our third year." Hermione nodded. "And he's good at it, too…he's always loved magical animals. The only problem is, well…He loves _all_ magical animals, and he's not too good and telling which ones are dangerous or not."

She let that settle a moment, but apparently none of the transfers got her drift.

"Oh, never mind. You'll see." she sighed, slipping her own schedule into her bag and standing. "We better get going, then, if we don't want to be late."

****

. . . . . .

Kouichi sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning against one of a group of boulders that had been almost artfully positioned near the groundskeeper's hut. This was where he was supposed to be for his first class, but it was a bit awkward to say the least.

First of all, most of the other sixth-year Slytherins around him were discussing ways to torment the Professor, an extremely large, burly man who was at least half giant and apparently had a unfortunate liking for great, big, _dangerous _monsters. Secondly, the current plane was on a slope of at least 50 degrees, so they had to brace against these rocks to keep from rolling down and into the woods. And thirdly, he had just spent thirty minutes in the library and was trying to read one of his selections (translating one page at a time), but the wind was lashing the pages viciously so that they turned wildly on their own. He was now attempting to hold them down with his elbows, as he had a piece of toast that passed for his breakfast clutched in his right hand.

"Hey." one of the girls…Pansy Parkinson, her name was…called from the top of the rocks. "Looks like the Gryffin_dorks_ are coming this way. Late, as usual."

Kouichi glanced up. Coming down the large stone steps were a group of about ten red-robed students, the ones he recognized including Potter, Weasley and Granger. Takuya was wound up again, practically leaping down the wide, uneven steps as Kouji followed behind, much slower.

"Saint Potter." Malfoy sneered, eyes locked with more than a little resentment in his voice. "Savor of Mudbloods and Dummy-dore's precious favorite…"

"Hey, Kouichi." Takuya called with a wide grin, jumping over the last step to dash over. "How's it goin'?"

Kouichi smiled just a little, feeling the weight of Draco and the other Slytherins' eyes on his back. "Just fine."

Kouji caught up with Takuya, while the other Gryffindors seamed apt to stay as far away from their green-robed classmates as possible. He glanced at the book in his brother's lap. "Oh. That explains where you were at breakfast."

"Just checking out the library…" Kouichi held up the book to show the dewy-decimal code on the spine.

"The library? Already?" Takuya craned his head to look at the well-worn writing down the edge. "'Through Smoke and Stars: Interpreting Dreams and Nightmares'? That's a bit of an odd choice, ain't it?"

Kouichi shrugged. "I was…just curious." Now he felt Kouji's eyes on him, as well as the Slytherins who hadn't decided to ignore him. It was getting uncomfortable.

"If you're looking to bluff Divination…" Ron spoke up. "You're outta luck. We covered dreams last year."

Kouichi blinked, and decided to keep his mouth shut on the fact that he wasn't even taking Divination. He'd signed up for Ancient Runes instead. He did, however, notice that Draco was opening his mouth to say something smug, which was why he was very glad that Prof. Hagrid suddenly strode up, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Everyone 'ere, then?" Hagrid beamed at them. "Alrighty! I decided to take advantage of the…well, odd circumstances, with the transfers bein' 'ere an' all. Thought we could examine a couple'a beauties from the orients…Come along, now, just follow meh."

The class followed behind in two groups, one of Gryffindors, in front, and one of Slytherins, behind them. Connecting the two groups were the three transfers, walking together.

Hermione looked back at them. "Any idea what he could have?" she asked in a low voice.

"Nope." Takuya shrugged.

"Come on, you must have a guess." Ron pressed. "Think, isn't there anything you studied in Japan that was big, dangerous and possibly ugly?"

"We never had this kind of class back home." Kouji muttered. "It'd be hard-pressed if we were studying kitsune in the back of the temple…"

"As long as he doesn't have an Oni, we should be fine." Takuya shrugged.

"What's an Oh-knee?" Seamus asked, sounding curious.

"A devil." all three transfers said at once.

The rest of the students went pale. "That…sounds like something Hagrid would bring in." Dean muttered under his breath.

Hagrid paused at the base of a large tree and motioned the students to stand back. "They can be pretty feisty, if you startle them, so just keep still for a bit…"

He turned and looked up into the tree, making a loud noise that sounded like a deep-throated parrot. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a few leaves fluttered down out of the trees, followed by today's 'subjects'.

They looked like small people with wings instead of arms, covered in red feathers from top to bottom. Their faces had large, gold beaks protruding out of them, and their eyes were shining gold. There were seven or eight of them, all about Harry's size and weight, who descended instantly on the bunch of fruit Hagrid held out.

"_Tengu_?!" Takuya sputtered. "Professor, you brought in Tengu?!"

Tin-goo? Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Weird names. All of them had weird names.

"Yup. Beauties, aren't they?" Hagrid said proudly.

All of the transfers looked a bit stunned, but Kouji spoke first. "But…How the hell did you get ahold of them? Even back home they only live in the mountains…"

"Got these beauties from a contact of Dumbledore's in Japan." Hagrid said proudly. "I told 'em I wanted a chance to show some'a teh rarer creatures, an' this is what he brought me."

"This is the first time I've seen one up close." Kouichi whispered in the same soft, almost delicate voice. He was staring at the largest one in the group, the alpha male of sorts, which was gobbling down the biggest and sweetest-looking fruits in the bunch.

"Now then…" Hagrid brushed his hands off. "Anybody care to get a bit closer?"

All of the Slytherins and half the Gryffindors immediately backed off. That left Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the Transfers. The Japanese students seamed calm enough, although Kouichi went vaguely pale and brushed a hand against his brother's as a nervous reflex.

"Eh now…" Hagrid glanced between them momentarily. "Harry! Care to give it a shot?"

"Er…" Harry glanced at the bird-things and stifled a bit of a gulp. "S-Sure, Hagrid. What do I do?"

"Just hold this out to 'em." Hagrid tossed him a large melon. "Approach slowly now, be careful. An' keep up the eye contact, don't look away for nothin'."

Harry took a deep breath and moved forward, holding out the melon. He paused where Hagrid showed him, about three feet from the birds, which were now preening their feathers.

One of them looked up and gazed at him with large, doe-like golden eyes. It blinked at him wordlessly, turning its head in curiosity. Harry kept his eyes focused on those round, glowing gold orbs, and moved another step closer.

The bird hopped forward, crouching down like a monkey with its hand-claws dragging along the floor. It came close to Harry, sniffing the fruit with its beak. Hermione drew in a short breath.

Suddenly, the bird snapped its hand forward and took hold of the fruit, but he didn't take it away from Harry. Instead, he used his claw to cut it in half, then took the top part and ate it gleefully.

"Very good, Harry!" Hagrid clapped. "He's decided yer a friend. Now take a bite of the fruit."

Harry glanced at him, a bit confused. "If yeh don't eat, yeh'll insult 'em." Hagrid explained. "Sortta like drinkin' after a toast. It's rude if you don't."

Harry grimaced, but took a bite from the tangy fruit and swallowed. The Tengu, already finished with his half, hopped over and looked up at him. He could've sworn it was smiling as it plucked a feather from his cloak-like wings and held it out to him.

"For me?" he felt more than a little awkward, but took it. "Gee…Uh, thanks."

Hagrid beamed. "Good work, Harry! Now, each of yeh needs to approach a Tengu an' get it to accept yeh. Take a fruit from this basket here, there yeh go…"

In groups of eight the students stepped forward, each calling forward a separate Tengu and getting different results. Kouji wound up in a staring contest with the alpha male, neither of them backing down for a good fifteen minutes. Lavender Brown was doing fine, until the little one she was coaxing over tried to build a nest from her hair. A female grabbed Neville by the shoulders, flew him up into a tree, and left him hanging on a high branch (apparently, its motherly instincts told her he wasn't old enough to leave the nest…).

But all and all, nobody got themselves into any real danger…At least, not until Malfoy stepped up to his.

Everything went just fine, at first. The Tengu took the apple, split in in half, and left one with Draco. The boy looked at the piece in his hand, then broke a bit off and pretended to eat it, dropping it behind him instead.

No one noticed, except Kouichi, who was standing right behind him. "Um… Malfoy?"

"What?" the blonde turned back to him coolly.

Kouichi kept his voice very low, so that no one else could hear him. "The Tengu will be insulted…"

"I honestly don't care, Kimura." Malfoy sniffed haughtily. "That oaf _can't_ expect me to eat after one of _these_ ugly things."

The color drained out of Kouichi's face. "M-Malfoy…"

"What _is_ it, Kimura?"

"Move!" Kouichi grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him backwards, right before the Tengu's claws came crashing down where he had been standing.

The half-bird, half-human creature let out an unearthly shriek, taking flight and diving forward towards Malfoy. Kouichi shoved the blonde one way and dropping back in the other direction and hitting the ground as the bird-creature soared past.

"Back! Back! All of you, stand back!" Hagrid shouted, grabbing Kouji, who was trying to get to his brother, by the collar and tossing him out of the way. When the Tengu came charging back, aimed at Kouichi this time, Hagrid snatched it out of the air and stuffed something into its mouth. After a moment of fighting, the bird-creature was calm.

Hagrid let it go and it waddled back over to its flock mates, perfectly placid. Malfoy was still on the ground, gasping for breath, as was Kouichi. "What…What was that?" the transfer gasped.

"Just a kumquat." Hagrid sighed. "But I 'ad Prof. Sprout fill it with a little bit o' ragweed…Calms 'em down good an' well. You two alright?"

"F-Fine…I'm fine…" Kouichi grabbed on to the massive hand and pulled himself to his feet. "Thanks…"

Malfoy was recovering his attitude. "What the hell was its problem?"

"I _told_ you what the problem was, Malfoy." Kouichi, very wisely, stepped in before Ron or Harry could get at him. He didn't yell or even sound accusing, keeping his voice very low and even-toned. "Tengu are really smart. They don't like being tricked."

He held out his hand to the other boy, a tiny smile on his lips. "You're really lucky you weren't hurt, or worse. Here, let me give you a hand."

Malfoy glared, looking furious, and knocked the hand away. "I don't need your help." he growled, climbing to his feet a bit to fast. He swayed dangerously and Kouichi steadied him by the arm. "I said I didn't need your help!"

Kouichi looked a little surprised, but shrugged and let go, slipping hands into his pockets and going back to his brother. Malfoy let out a frustrated noise and went back to Crabbe and Goyle.

The class ended on a sour note.

****

. . . . . .

"You really have to stop associating with those Gryffindors."

Kouichi looked up from his lunch, a mite surprised. He'd never even be introduced to Parkinson, and yet here she was, staring him down with half a dozen other Slytherin sixth-years, all looking rather accusing.

"…I don't understand." he murmured quietly.

"Stop _talking_ to them." Parkinson shuddered, looking sickened.

Theodore Nott leaned forward, a cool gaze in his eyes. "We can make _some_ amends for Minamoto, since he's your…brother, and all." he looked disgusted as well, possibly at the idea of being related to a Gryffindor. "But you will simply have to ignore those other pests."

Kouichi felt a defensive prickle at the back of his neck. "Pests?"

"The loudmouth." Parkinson rolled her eyes with a sour look to Takuya.

"And the twerp." Nott added, motioning with his hands to a short person. Tomoki.

"And the rest of that Gryffindor riff-raff." Malfoy finished, his eyes narrowed almost dangerously. "Potty, Weasel and Grunge-er."

Kouichi licked his lips nervously. He wasn't really close to Potter and Weasley, but it was almost blasphemous to reject his friends, after they'd done so much for him, he'd never forgive himself. But there was a poison in the glares of the other Slytherins, like the venomous snakes on their badges, ready to strike. He had to be careful.

"I'll take that into account." he muttered placidly, standing up from the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some…studying to do."

He could not get out of their sight fast enough.

**__**

TBC…

Hon'yaku Suru, Eigo no Nihongo - Translate to Another Language, English to Japanese.

Yes, I'm using the Hogwarts setting from the PoA movie. Just because I really, really like it, and that's how I imagine Hogwarts to be.

Kouichi's other choice from the Library was _Hogwarts: A History_, if you're curious.

Tengu - Yes, these are from ancient Japanese myth. I didn't make them up, although I did make them a bit less human than the myths, for the sake of the class. They're also the mascot of Japan's leading Quidditch team, Takuya's favorite, the Toyohashi Tengu, who were mentioned in Ch. 4.


	14. And Classes, Take Two

Several things kept me from finishing this chapter when I really would have preferred to. Of which included, but were not limited to the following: a swim meet, for which we left at 5:30 AM, a brand new and highly addictive GBA game that was waiting for me when I got home, auditions at the local playhouse for my all-time favorite musical _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat_, and spraining my ankle during the dance part of said audition, putting me in a brace for at least a week, if not more. Ouch.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird._

Chapter 14: And Classes, Take Two

The weekend seamed to go flying past. Before Harry quite grasped what was going on, he found himself sitting with Ron on Sunday afternoon, trying to get their essay for Transfiguration (one and a half feet on changing fish into amphibians) done early.

However, there were many distractions in the common room that day…the least of being the three transfers, who were sitting together on two armchairs and whispering in hushed voices. Occasionally, Harry caught bits of their conversation:

"…Takuya, you really think you'll try out for Quidditch?"

"Well sure, can't let Izumi have all the fun…"

"Just don't slide off the end…"

"That was my first time!"

Harry shook his head, blocking out their noise and tried to concentrate on his essay. But try as he might he couldn't ignore the talking, or the sunshine pouring in through the window, or the annoying itching of his scar against his skin…

"Harry?" Hermione's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Harry, are you all right?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine…Just a bit tired, that's all."

Hermione glanced over at the transfers, still deep in what was now a very serious conversation, then dropped her voice down. "You were rubbing your scar, Harry."

Harry snapped his hand down, fighting down the subconscious urge. "It's nothing." he insisted. "It's been itching since summer ended, that's all…"

For a moment he had the feeling that there was something his was supposed to tell them, something important…but nothing came to mind.

He blew back his bangs with a short puff of air, and went back to the foot-long piece of parchment.

. . . . . .

Monday's schedule called for History of Magic, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The first class went as usual, in the monotonous blur of droning, snoring, and Hermione's note-taking.

In Charms, the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw group began work on a simple spell to clean up small but hard to get out messes, such as spilled ink on white cloth, grape juice on light colored carpet, or a miss-fired Bat Bogie hex that splattered against the wall. Prof. Flitwick, trying to help the transfers, explained that it was essentially the same as _Soji Suru_. However, they didn't do any better than the rest of the class (save Hermione), which baffled the little professor to no end.

"You mean you haven't learned it yet?" he asked in his high-pitched little voice. "But I was most certain…Mr. Kimura was in my class yesterday, and he had it on his first try."

"Yeah, well, Kouichi always was better at Charms than the rest of us." Takuya shrugged, and went back to prodding the grape juice stain in his square of carpet.

After a nice, semi-quiet lunch was Defense. As Ron predicted, the class would be quite interesting, starting right at the beginning when Kouji crossed the unwritten 'barrier' between Slytherin and Gryffindor to sit next to his brother. There was a slight rustling of annoyed whispers from the Gryffindors, and many of the Slytherins glared at him accusingly.

"What's with them?" Kouji muttered under his breath, matching Malfoy and Nott glare for glare.

Kouichi looked more than a little uneasy, but mumbled that he had no idea what was going on, not that Kouji believed him. But at that moment the teacher walked in, so the conversation was quickly dropped.

Today, Tonk's hair was waist-length and a striking shade of chartreuse, while her eyes were a normal blue. She gave the class a wide grin, dropping a stack of books on her desk with a crash.

"G'morning, class." she said brightly. "Welcome to yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I suppose you folks must be pretty tired of getting a new teacher every year, eh?"

Most of the class mumbled their annoyed consent. Tonks chuckled. "O' course, I'm afraid you'll be one group to have a different teacher every year you're here. I'm an Auror by trade…don't give me those looks, we're not all like old Mad-Eye…And I'm only here as a favor to my old headmaster. One year for him to find another teach, and then I'm outta here."

"But just 'cause I'm only a temp doesn't mean you aren't going to learn anything useful." she gave a lop-sided grin, showing off quite a few sparkling white teeth. "Allow me a moment of lecture, and I'll explain exactly what we'll be doing this year…"

She waved her wand at a piece of chalk sitting on the edge of the board, which jumped up and began writing in her own wide, excited handwriting. Unlike Umbridge's neat and orderly instructions the year before, these moved slightly up the edge of the board and were so big that the bottom ones had to be scrunched together. The end result read:

**__**

DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS

Year 6

Semester 1

Strengths and Weaknesses -

- Personal specialties and magical element

- Using your advantage in a duel

- Magic Relations: You vs. Your Opponent

Common Black Magic Creatures -

- Dementors, Lethifolds and other Demons of the Night

- Judging for yourself if a creature can be trusted

Semester 2

- Finish up any Black Magic Creatures that were not covered previously

Advanced Spells Against Dark Wizards -

- Active Defense (shields, physical enhancements, etc.)

- Creating Scrolls and Protection Charms

- Honing Your Reactions

Once it was finished, the chalk slammed into the dustbin with a noisy clatter, sending a puff of white dust into the air. Tonks spun on her heel, sending her now-long hair whipping around and blowing a few pieces of parchment to the floor.

"Now now, Hermione, please put that hand down a moment." she instructed, motioning to the girl, who sheepishly obeyed. "And the rest of you…stop looking at me like I'm completely crazy and give me a chance to explain each part.

"Firstly, your strengths and weaknesses…A concept I'm sure our Transfers are rather familiar with, it's very oriental. We'll get into the details in a moment. The initial particulars should last for, oh, about two months…through October at least. But it's an idea we will be working with throughout the entire year.

"More on that later. Now, around November we will start a small course on creatures that commonly appear around and amongst Dark Wizards, as well as those that are not evil by nature, but may have tendencies to assist aforementioned wizards. And yes, we will be covering Dementors. You are sixth years now, you need to get used to some N.E.W.T.S.-level creatures. You should all know how to defend yourselves against the worst possible enemies.

"Alrighty then, back on topic. Semester 2: Spells Against Dark Wizards. Defense against Dark-Magic conjuring such as the Serpensortia. Fighting against some of the worse curses in the bunch. Establishing a shield to protect yourself against an opponent's assaults…We'll get to all of that in the next semester.

"Now then…are their any questions?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. "How on earth are we going to study Dementors and Lethifolds? There's no way you can bring a _Dementor_ into the castle!"

Tonks gave a wide, mysterious smile. "You just let me worry about that. Next?"

Takuya, sitting next to Dean and Ron, looked about to raise his hand when Kouichi caught his eye. The Slytherin transfer made a motion with his hand, slicing across his neck and shaking his head in a "Please don't ask" gesture. The brunet blinked curiously, but moved his hands under the table.

Neville lifted his hand a bit nervously. "What do you mean, the worse curses?"

"Everything less than the Unforgivables." Tonks piped brightly. Neville relaxed a bit. "I already said that I'm not Mad-Eye. I'm not casting any crazy jinxes on your likes for the helluvit. Anything else?"

No one moved. Tonk's grin widened. "Okay! Moving on to our first subject."

She spun around, snapping her wand out in the direction of the blackboard. With a sudden noise like a tiny explosion, the chalk flew off the board in a huge cloud and engulfed the young teacher. After a moment, it cleared, leaving a coughing, white-powdered Tonks in front of them.

"Well…that didn't go as planned." she laughed sheepishly, then shook off the dust and waved for the chalk one more time. "Now then: Your advantage is often based on your Magical Element…or in the eastern countries where the concept originated, _Maho-Kiso. _Can anybody tell me what this means? Ah, transfers, please, keep your hands down…I know you know. Can anyone else answer?"

Harry didn't have any idea, and when he glanced over at Hermione he was surprised to find out she didn't know either. She look rather worried about it, too, her forehead seaming to wrinkle to match the frown on her lips.

Tonks waited a moment for volunteers, then sighed. "I'm not surprised. It's not a concept generally thought of when teaching Western Magic." she looked back up, never breaking her grin. "Alrighty then, let's try again. Can any of our transfers tell me what the Maho-Kiso is?"

Takuya and Kouji both raised their hands instantly, while Kouichi had the look of someone who knows the answer, but doesn't feel confident enough to admit it.

"Oookay…" Tonks checked a piece of parchment, the looked back up. "You there, Mr…?"

"Kanbara." Takuya took it she meant him, since Kouji and Kouichi were in the other direction.

"Mr. Kanbara. Please answer."

Takuya coughed once, clearing his throat, then started in. "Well…Maho-Kiso your magical element, the kind of spells you're best suited to casting. You can tell what someone's Kiso is by their personality, most of the time…"

Tonks nodded. "Nicely put. Five points to Gryffindor for that one." she waved her wand at the chalk and it flew back to the board, writing out what looked to be a diagram of sorts.

First it wrote out five words…Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, with accompanying eastern _(kanji)_ symbols…across the blackboard and connected them to make a circle. Then, inside the circle, lines were drawn across to connected the words a different way: Fire to Metal, Metal to Wood, Wood to Earth, Earth to Water, and Water to Fire, so that it made a star.

The chalk clattered to a stop and Tonks turned back to the class. "Can anyone tell me what this is?"

"It looks like Fung Shui." Hermione muttered to herself.

"Correct. Five more points." Tonks winked. "Fung Shui is, after all, the basis of all Eastern magic, including Maho Kiso. Every wizard in the world can be categorized into each of these five elements, depending on what kind of spells they find the easiest to cast. This diagram shows the relationship of each element to the others…The ones connected in the circle support each other. Within the star, the first element controls the second.

"This is a key point in Maho-Kiso. As each wizard in the world has their own elements, then there are other wizards who will either support or hinder their attempts. One powered by fire will almost always be at a disadvantage against those with water cores, but will have one leg up on the Metal elements."

Harry was a bit surprised. He'd never seen Tonks half this serious, it was really rather impressive.

"Now, the relationship between the elements and wizards under their power." She turned her eyes to the class coolly. "You might want to take notes. This is important."

There was a moment of pause as people scrambled for parchment and quills, then started again as the chalk wrote behind her in the remaining third of the black board.

"First off: Fire, or _Hi_ in the original language. Fire comes from Wood and controls Metal. It is the feistiest of the Maho-Kiso, lending itself mostly to attack spells, and those that create warmth or light by means of energy. Also, people who have this type of element, at least the ones who focus on attack spells, have a knack for getting in a lot of trouble. Those that create light or energy tend to be calmer, but when angered, their temper is just as bad."

Ron slid his parchment over so Harry could see it. Across the top he'd written, _Ten Sickles says we're both fire._

"Secondly…" Tonks continued, pulling them back into concentration. "Earth, or _Jimen_. It comes from Fire and controls Water. The most sensible of the five, it holds the most strength in protection and defense spells. Earth wizards can just as easily be trouble-makers, like their Fire supporters, but they tend to hang back and defend their attacking friends.

"Number Three: Metal, or _Metaru_. Coming from Earth and controlling wood, Metal is linked with intelligence and skill at specific spells. Metal wizards tend to be very clever, although not all of them want to show it, and are most comfortable someplace with a lot of books. You'd be hard-pressed to find one not carrying some kind of reading with them."

"_Hermione if I ever heard it._" Harry laughed to himself. Takuya had been right about pointing people out though their personalities.

"Element Four: _Mizu,_ Water, which comes from Metal and controls Fire. It's a gentler magic, mostly associated with healing spells and recovery potions. As such, most healers are of the Water element, such as our own dear Madam Pomfrey. That's not to say that its users are oh-so-gentle, though…

"And finally, element number five: Wood, or _Ki_. Comes from Water and controls Earth. This is the magic for those that are Jacks-of-all-trades, skilled at many different kinds of magic and their uses, but doesn't have one prominent one. These are probably the easiest people to get along with, they like to make everyone happy."

She glanced up at the clock and raised her eyebrows suddenly. "That late already?!" she exclaimed, spinning back around. "I'm sorry, I've kept you all a bit late. Homework is a foot-and-a-half long list of your favorites, spells, food, color whatever, and another foot-and-a-half of your least favorites. Class is dismissed, see you next week!"

And she was the first one out the door towards the Great Hall.

****

TBC…

Heh. Hope the explanation on Maho-Kiso was thorough enough. All of the details (including Yin and Yang) should be introduced in chapters to come, so just wait! And a cookie for anyone who can guess the Digi-People's Kisos!

"…Like Soji Suru" - See Chapter 1


	15. Potions, Predictions, Books and Wednesda...

(slightly teed off, pulls out Chinese Astrology book) Look here, people. It says it right here: _Yin_ is Darkness, Death, Night, Passive, Feminine and Cold. _Yang_ is Light, Life, Day, Active, Masculine and Heat. It's not the other way around. (throws book over her shoulder) Sorry. I just annoys me when people (and you know who you are) correct me on my through and exhaustive research.

To me, Potions sounds quite similar to Chemistry (in which, I am currently not doing much better than Harry and Ron). So the potions classroom is based on my Chemistry class. Though my teacher is no Snape, it sure _smells_ like a dungeon in there sometimes…

And yes, this chapter is a bit late. Why? Well, I'm in _Joseph and the Amazing, Technicolor Dream Coat _at a community theatre in the town twenty minutes away. Between rehearsals, school and swim practice, I'm home at about 10 and trying frantically to do my homework, which gives me about thirty minutes before school to write fanfics. Please be patient as the author attempts to kill herself from overwork. Thank you.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

****

Chapter 15: Potions, Predictions, Books and Wednesdays

Wednesdays were certainly not turning out to be Harry's best days.

The schedule called for Potions, followed by Divination after lunch, with a short bit of extra rest before Astronomy. While the last class wasn't so bad, the first two most certainly _were_.

At the moment, he was sitting on a three-legged stool in the front of the potions classroom. The cauldrons had already been set up in the…for lack of a better term…'lab' half of the dungeon, the fires burning bleakly under them like a preheating oven. He was sitting alone, seeing as Hermione had gone to stop by the library beforehand, and Ron had slipped off to heaven-knows-where before breakfast had even finished.

A few other Gryffindors scattered the room, the vast majority rather unhappy to have arrived early. The others were trickling in at a semi-steady pace, about one every five minutes and increasing as it got closer to class time.

The Slytherins, however, arrived about five minutes before in a bit of a group. It started with Malfoy and his cronies and finished up with the rest of the green-robed house. They exchanged glares with the Gryffindors gathered, especially Malfoy and Harry.

Kouichi was right behind the lead group, almost hidden by Goyle, and looked relatively wind-blown, as though he had been dragged there. He caught Harry's eye, breaking his stare-down with Malfoy, and offered a placating smile.

Then he chose a seat at the far end of the room, to the between Malfoy and the wall.

Kouji, Takuya and the other Gryffindors who hadn't arrived yet came in after the Slytherins. Kouji seamed a surprised when Kouichi had chosen to be boxed in on the side, but a slight wave from his brother seamed to calm him down. He sat next to Takuya, instead.

Hermione and Ron slipped in next to Harry, Hermione sporting a new library book and Ron looking more than a little anxious himself.

The door at the other end of the room flew open with a _bang_, and the formerly chattering class was silenced. Snape strode in, his long, black cape billowing around him almost dramatically, but his face held the normal soar look.

"Everyone sit down _now_." he snapped, and the remaining two Gryffindors scrambled to their seats. He strode to the front of the room, spinning on his heels to face them with a glare.

"You may be hoping that, after O.W.L.s last year, your classes will be easier than before. But I assure you that this class most certainly _will not_. The fact that you all managed to make it in this class at all is astounding, and I will be certain to weed out the worst of the bunch…" his eyes glared at Harry. "…Before you managed to embarrass this school on the N.E.W.T.S. next year."

He snapped his wand at the chalkboard, and a list of instructions appeared. "Today we will be starting with a Delirious Drought, a concoction to send the drinker into rambling fevers. The instructions are on the board. You will work in pairs. No outside talking. Rare materials are up front. Begin now."

Takuya gulped, glancing over at Kouji with a distressed whisper. "What're we gonna do? The instructions are in English, and it's not like we can just translate every bottle on that table, either…"

Snape over-heard him, slamming a heavy piece of parchment onto the table, making Takuya jump and Kouji glare.

"Five points from Gryffindor for being off-task." the teacher sniffed sourly, and moved on to place another parchment in front of Kouichi. The black letters on the top of both copies read, in Hiragana: **Nekkyo Mizugusuri**…Direct translation: 'Fever Potion', same as the Delirious Drought. In Hiragana, below it, were the instructions on the board, with the labels of the ingredients in Romanji.

Kouji glared sourly at the Potion Master's back, then stormed forward to pick out their ingredients, while Takuya started laying out the utensils. Harry slid in right behind him and started searching through the bottles. Wolf's Bane…Fey Flower…Powdered Moonbeam…easy enough. Right?

Unfortunately not.

Said potion was, in fact, immensely complicated, with intricate timing and measuring. The proper result was to be like the mixture in Hermione and Lavender's cauldron: a dark mauve in color, thick like chocolate syrup, that gave off the smell of a slightly over-ripened tangerine.

No one else's looked half as good. Ron and Harry's gave of the stench of burned meat, was runnier than one of Aunt Petunia's fried eggs, and a sickly green color. Takuya and Kouji's was as clear and smooth as a glass of water, but ate through their cauldron like an acid. Poor Neville's had a similar reaction, before exploding outward and drenching him and Seamus in half-made potion, both of them retreating to the Hospital Wing for the welts that spread across their bodies. And Kouichi, working with Malfoy, had some how managed to evaporate the potion all together in clouds of pungent purple smoke so that half the room had to clear out.

Malfoy coughed a few times, rubbing his watering eyes. "Kimura…what did you _add_?!" he demanded, keeping his voice under control, but only just barely.

"I…cough…don't know." the transfer sighed, his teeth chattering slightly. "I told you…I'm not very good at Potions."

Snape strode up, vanishing the smoke with a few waves of his wand. He glanced wordlessly down at the two boys, examining them with scrutiny. Kouichi was shivering and had gone slightly pale, while the end of Malfoy's nose had was slightly blue as he blew on his hands to warm himself.

The Potions Master placed a bare hand against both their foreheads momentarily, then spun on his heels. "Hospital Wing, both of you." he snapped in an almost-concerned voice. "Madam Pomfrey should have plenty of Heat Support potions to stem off the hypothermia."

"Um…Sir?" Kouichi looked confused. The last word hadn't translated very well, it came out _tsumetai-shokkaku-kogoeru-shi_…cold-touch-freezing-death.

Snape's eyes narrowed at him. "Go to the Hospital Wing before you freeze to death, Kimura." he said slowly, so the charm could translate easily.

The two students hurried away.

****

. . . . . .

"You know, if _we'd_ done that, Snape would've just let us freeze." Ron muttered as the exited.

"Don't joke, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "It's very dangerous! If they hadn't gone, their tempature would keep dropping until they were completely frozen, inside and out!"

"Yeah, and the world would be better for it." Ron muttered sourly. Hermione knocked him up the side of the head with her notebook. "I meant about Malfoy, not Kimura!"

"Think before you speak, then!" she hissed, annoyed, and glanced a tad nervously in the transfer's direction. However, Kouji seamed too distracted by making sure his brother was okay (he was just fine, though he had acquired just the slight bit of a cold) to hear them.

She turned on her heels, giving the boys a quick goodbye before heading off to her Ancient Runes class. Across the hall, Kouichi checked his watch, said goodbye to his brother and Takuya, sneezed, and followed her.

Harry and Ron, followed by Neville, Takuya, Kouji and the rest of the Gryffindor sixth-years, tromped up the stairs and up to the foggy, gloomy, smoke-filled Divination classroom. They were only spending every other week in here, thank goodness, seeing as they switched off with Firenze downstairs.

Takuya made a face as soon as his head entered the tower room. "Whew! What's burning?! Did something catch fire or what?"

Kouji gave his friend an annoyed shove from behind, then climbed up himself and frowned. "It's incense, Takuya. Probably _yuri_ or something like it…"

"Yuri?" Ron blinked. "What, like your owl?"

"No." Kouji said coolly, sitting at the table next to him and Harry, with Takuya across from him. "His name is Yu_rei_. It means ghost. Yu_ri_ are flowers…Lilies, I believe is the right translation."

"Oh." Ron blinked, obviously confused. "That's…complicated. They sound a lot a like, don't they?"

"Well, English is pretty complicated too, you know." Takuya shrugged. "I mean, not or knot, meat or meet, lay or lie, there, their or they're…It's almost impossible to learn if you don't speak it fluently."

"That's what these things are for." Kouji tapped the translation charm in his ear.

Before Ron or anyone else could say anything, Prof. Trelawney suddenly appeared out of the shadows with her usual pomp and flourish. She carried with her a large, decorative mirror, which she gazed into constantly, as though using it to guide her way.

"Good day, my children." she sighed airily, setting her mirror down on a table beside her chair. "Such glorious fortune to see you again in the physical world…ah, and at last, I am able to meet a few of the travelers I foresaw over the summer…"

She strode over to the table where Takuya and Kouji sat, both looking skeptical. She hovered her hand over their heads a moment, before dropping it down and cupping Kouji's chin.

"…You have a very troubled aura, my child." she said mysteriously, her butterfly-like eyes glazing over slightly. "As though there is a battle being warred within you, a struggle against Darkness…"

The Sorting Hat's words echoed in Kouji's mind, and he frowned in annoyance. "Right." he said skeptically.

"Ah, I see you are doubtful!" Trelawney exclaimed, pulling her hand away and striding across the room. "Many are of the same mindset, but soon they shall become believers…You must fight against your darkness, child, less it over-take you."

Takuya covered his mouth with his hand, cracking up a moment before leaning over to whisper to Kouji. "If you start seeing a really tall guy with too many eyes, make sure you warn the rest of us, 'kay?"

Too many eyes? Harry racked his brain a moment, then shrugged it off as a cultural thing when Kouji whacked Takuya up the side of the head semi-playfully.

Trelawney cleared her throat, drawing attention back to herself. She reached over and picked up the mirror from her table. "This year, we shall begin with the ancient art of mirror visions." she proclaimed airily. "A mirror is a window into the soul, the very heart of a person…and through this window we shall see our very destinies…"

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil let out low gasps and shuddered. Kouji and Ron rolled their eyes.

"After we thoroughly explore the secrets taught by the mirrors…" the professor continued breezily. "We shall move on to more elemental predictions. As dear… Professor…Firenze instructs you further on the works of the stars, we will begin interpreting the patterns drawn in sand by the winds, and then in the oriental style of flames. We will have to pause our studies there, as the stress of exams will cause an outbreak of chaos that will result in many, many trips to the hospital wing."

"Now…" she opened a cabinet, displaying dozens of mirrors of various sizes, shapes and designs. "Choose a mirror that calls too you, find your focus, and gaze into the beyond…"

****

. . . . . .

That evening found Kouichi, once again, in the library. Technically, he was supposed to be back in the dorms by now, but was cramming in a few last-minute books before bed.

The book he had open now was _Deciphering Dreams in the Shadows of the Mind_, the fifth one on the subject he'd skimmed through today. It wasn't that he was really worriedabout those dreams or anything. But a repeated dream, over and over, every night since that day on the train…There had to be _something_ going on.

He check his watch. Only ten minutes until he'd get in trouble for being out and about. He better head back now…

Scooping parchment, quills and ink into his bag, he gathered the little that was left in his arms and headed out. About half-way through the _C _section, he ran head-long into another figure and dropped his bag with a noisy clatter, nearly falling over himself.

"Watch where you're going!" an annoyed voice spoke, and he realized abruptly that he had plowed straight in to Malfoy. The blonde had and annoyed look on his face, holding a few books in his arms. "Honestly, Kimura, I didn't pin you as being so…clumsy."

"…And which one of us nearly got clawed by a Tengu?" Kouichi almost swallowed his tongue after muttering that. He didn't want to cause trouble, really he didn't, it'd just slipped out, and besides, he really couldn't…

Malfoy glared at him, then sniffed haughtily, turning away. "It was that oaf Hagrid's fault." he sniffed. "For bringing in mangy beasts like that. If it wasn't for Dummy-dore being so damn soft-minded, he'd have been thrown out of here years ago."

This boy really needed to work on his people skills. Kouichi just sighed and started to pick his things back up. To his surprise, Malfoy helped him…well, in a way, as he slid the books closer with his feet so he didn't have to reach as far.

Kouichi gathered his things and stood, glancing at the books Malfoy was carrying. _Charms for the Un-Charmed, Wand Techniques For Better Spellwork, Casting Accurate Charms: The Know-How to Know How…_

Hm…Interesting.

Kouichi filed those thoughts away, sighed and glanced at Draco in a way he hoped was friendly without any sort of a smile. "Well then." he sighed. "Shall we get back to the dorms? It's getting late, and I still don't know the fastest way to the commons."

Malfoy eyed him level, shrugged, and lead the way out.

_ ****_

TBC…

Relax, relax, Kouichi's not 'going over to the Dark side' as one person put it. I am addressing this from the point that no one is really bad, even the Slytherins. Kouichi's just trying to survive the school year by making friends with his housemates.

__

Cold-touch-freezing-death: I couldn't find a word for hypothermia in my Japanese dictionary, so I decided this would be a fun time to explain how the stranger words are heard with the translation charms.

__

Heat Support Potions: This is the opposite of the Cooling Crest Potion that Ms. Kimura mentioned in the 2nd chapter, both of my own creation. Cooling Crest, naturally, cools down a fever, while Heat Support diverts hypothermia by raising the body temperture.


	16. Qudditch Tryouts

Er…I really would have thought that the 'tall guy with too many eyes' would've been obvious, given the circumstances. Think about it: Digimon Frontier Character...Lots of eyes...prediction about Darkness…Do I have to explain any more?

Oh, and people were asking about how mirrors are used in Divination…Do you honestly think _anybody_ is going to be getting regular 'visions' of any kind in Trelawney's class? I'm going to make notes on the technique as they go through the weeks, they get more results from the flame-predictions anyway. And Firenze and Trelawney are co-teaching Divination, like they said at the fifth book. They switch off every week, once in Trelawney, then once with Firenze. Sorry if that wasn't clear, I only mentioned it THREE TIMES.

And I HAVE read every single one of the Harry Potter books, about two dozen times each. (angery glare) However, am chooing to ignore any actual reference to the O.W.L.s. or other standarized wizarding tests, seeing as I have no earthly idea how the hell Harry or the others are going to do on that, whether they're going to drop any classes and whatnot, it just seams to be particularly annoying and I already have the fic planned out around the classes they have now. So I just choose the classes they have in all the other books and left it at that. Deal with it.

****

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

Chapter 16: Quidditch Try-Outs

The Ravenclaw captain paused a moment, his broom hovering high above the Quidditch field. His dishwater-blonde hair blew in the wind as the seventh-year checked his bearings. There were a few spectators, mostly waiting for the other try-outs to begin or cheering their friends…Mostly in small clusters, much like the two groups of try-outs hovering below him.

He glanced down at the scattering line of Chaser try-outs. He brushed his bangs back with a grin, glancing at the other members of the team, including Seeker Cho Chang.

He dove forward suddenly and threw the Quaffle down to the last waiting student, coming around for her fifth and last turn. Izumi grabbed on and zoomed forward, the blue robes rustling around her as her long, blonde hair flew in the wind. The Keeper held his ground hesitantly, then bailed out at the last minute and rolled out of her way. Izumi swooped by and easily threw the ball into the goal.

"Excellent!" the Captain flew down and patted Izumi on the shoulder. "We'll have to wait to announce it officially, of course, but I can already say you'll make a great Chaser, Orimoto."

"Thanks." Izumi grinned and winked, waiting a few moments as he addressed the rest of the tryouts, then zoomed to the ground and landed as the Ravenclaw session ended.

As she dismounted, there was the slight noise of clapping and cheering from her friends. Junpei, Takuya and Tomoki were cheering loudly, while the twins sat clapping with identical smiles on their faces. Izumi grinned and flashed a V-for-victory sign wave before running to the stands and dashing up the stairs to where they were sitting.

"Hey guys!" she laughed, taking a seat between Junpei and Takuya. "So, how'd I do?"

"You were great!" Junpei said enthusiastically, to which Tomoki nodded.

Takuya grinned. "Yeah, you were good." he said idly, leaning back. "But just wait until I get out there!"

Kouji rolled his eyes, giving his brother an 'I-don't-know-how-much-longer-I-can-take-this' glance out of the corner of his eye. They all knew that Izumi was the best flyer out of any of them, having been the owner of the Spirit of Wind seamed to give her a leg up on any of the others. Even Kouichi, the only other one raised by a wizarding parent, had only been on a broom a few times…Seeing as, in any culture, broomsticks were very expensive, and he'd never been able to afford one.

Izumi slipped her Inazuma 300 under the bench, then leaned back with a sigh as the Hufflepuff team took off into the air. Tomoki looked around a bit and sighed. "It seams like forever since we've all been able to talk like this."

"Yeah…" Junpei nodded. "I hardly get to see you guys anymore, outside of class."

"Especially you, Kouichi." Izumi turned to look up at the boy. "It's weird, but I feel like you've been avoiding us lately."

The dark-haired boy glanced down a bit sheepishly, a slightly worried look on his face. "Sorry…"

Kouji turned his head to look up at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

His twin shifted slightly, fidgeting like he always did when the conversation strayed to a subject he didn't want to talk about.

"It's just…it's just that…" he sighed glancing off to one side. "The…The others…Malfoy and them, they're…"

"You're worried about the Gryffindor versus Slytherin thing, aren't you?" Junpei spoke up suddenly. Kouichi blinked and nodded, while the others looked at the larger boy in surprise. "I asked one of the guys in my house about it. He said those two houses have been rivals as long as anyone can remember. Like, bitter enemies level."

"That's for sure." Takuya sighed, leaning back. "I mean, did you see the glares the other day when you two sat next to each other in Defense? Yeesh, if looks could kill…"

"Speaking of Defense…" Izumi suddenly spoke up. "Kouichi, aren't you a little insulted about that?"

Kouichi looked a bit confused, so she elaborated. "You know, all this stuff they keep saying…Defense Against the 'Dark' Arts, forbidding books on 'Dark' magic…They act like all the Yin wizards are…are _Kegareru_! I can't believe you're not even a little offended!"

"…Not really." Kouichi shrugged, then hurried to continue before she could say anything. "Hakaishi-sensei explained it to me before we left…There are so few Yin here, they don't even realize it. You heard Professor Tonks, they don't know about Maho-Kiso in the west."

"Oh." said Takuya with the air of dawning realization. "So _that's_ what everyone means when they're talking about 'Dark' wizards like monsters or something. I've been wondering about that…"

Izumi sniffed, watching the few Hufflepuffs bold enough to try out finish with a final lap around the field. "It's still so shallow. 'Dark wizards are evil'…I don't know how you stand it."

Kouichi shifted nervously again, so Kouji changed the subject to classes and homework, which could easily keep them all occupied for the rest of the tryouts.

. . . . . .

Harry knew he was in trouble the minute McGonagall informed him he'd been named Captain of the Quidditch team.

Not that he was really surprised, seeing as only he and Katie Bell were left from Oliver Wood's old reign, and she wouldn't go higher than his second; Beater Jack Sloper from the year before had quit, and the remaining two, Ron and Andrew Kirke, didn't have his experience and weren't exactly qualified.

But he hadn't realized how much work went into it, the book Hermione had given him for his birthday was really going to come in handy for plays and stratagies, espessially in the first match against Slytherin in only a few weeks. However, none of them would work if he didn't get two more Chasers and a Beater in the tryouts.

Currently, he and the rest of the current team were waiting in the wings just outside of the locker room, all dressed in their Quidditch gear. Harry had his Firebolt, Ron and Katie held their Cleansweeps, and Andrew was gripping a Comet 290. The Slytherins, of course, were all swooping around on Nimbus 2001s, but even they looked bulky and shakey compared to the sleek, eastern-style broom Orimoto had been riding during the Ravenclaw tryouts.

The green-robed team swooped down and landed, their few tryouts mimicking them. They exited, to the Gryffindor's relief, out the other side of the stadium. Harry lifted the bristles of his broom off the ground, lying it flat and letting it hover slightly about waist-height. The others did the same, and they mounted.

"Ready?" he sighed, and they nodded at once, before kicking off and soaring up into the air.

A moment later, the try-outs appeared from the other side of the feild. Katie landed, holding the register, read their names out-loud and pinned a number to each of their robes. Harry grinned a bit when he spotted Ginny, fiddling with the number 5 badge and looking bored, like she was itching to get up on the old school broom. Takuya looked full of energy as well, sliding from on foot to the other anxiously and glancing back at the other transfers, all sitting together in the stands. There were five or six others, including Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, and several other second-to-fifth-years whom Harry didn't recognize by name.

Katie gave them a pep talk to make Wood proud, then re-mounted her broom and shot up to hover next to Harry. "Alright, Cap'n." she muttered, not really annoyed but sounding very responsible. "What's our plan?"

Harry frowned, thinking a moment, then sighed. "…A lap around the field, I suppose, to warm up a bit." he shrugged. "Then split them into the two groups. Ron, you get into the goal down on the left, and be ready. Katie, take the Chaser try-outs and give 'em a drill with Ron. Andrew, when the Beaters are ready, split them in to groups of two and let them have a chance with the Bludgers. All right?"

"Right." the four nodded, and dispersed for their duties.

Harry sighed and took off, straight up to pause and hover several meters into the air. With a few quick glances he could see everything, and every person in the stadium. There was Hermione…accompanied by a book, as usual, though she wasn't concentrating on it very well and was following Ginny nervously with her eyes. A few others scattered amongst the stands, including the transfers, who were lumped together in one semi-large group, cheering Takuya on.

Said Japanese student was trying out for the vacant Beater position. Andrew was zooming up after the Bludger he'd set free, knocking it back towards the try-outs. Kanbara was the only one who didn't hesitate to send it flying to the other end of the field. In fact, he looked like he was quite enjoying it.

Ginny was having the time of her life as well. He remembered how good she'd been as a replacement Seeker when he was off the team last year, and it looked like she made an even more formidable Chaser. She was flying rings around her brother, almost literally.

Harry couldn't help but grin. Wood's dream team might be gone, but this was looking up to be an excellent year for the Gryffindor squad.

. . . . . .

The results of the try-outs would be posted on the separate announcement boards inside the common rooms just before dinner. To no one's surprise, Izumi was prominent as a Chaser in the Ravenclaw lineup, and Ginny Weasley had won herself a spot on the Gryffindor team. Takuya had taken up the vacant Beater position with flying colors, and a 4th-year boy named Lance Mitchell had filled the remaining Gryffindor slot.

Harry came back from dinner to fall back into one of the over-stuffed armchairs with a sigh. He was ready to curl up in front of the fire and get some well-deserved rest after that…Ginny had been a sure-fire shot, but the Beater competition was fierce and the other Chasers were all close in skill. It had taken hours of review with Katie to be fully satisfied with the line-up, and he was beat.

Ron and Hermione plopped down into a couch beside him, both looking rather content with their day. Hermione opened the book she was carrying almost instantly, loosing herself in the pages, while Ron put his head on his arms against the armrest and blinked up at Harry.

"All set, then?" he asked brightly. "Looks like a good team, eh?"

Harry grinned. "You bet."

"Those slimy snakes aren't gonna have a shot this year." Ron's grin widened as he stretched. "I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy's face."

He paused in mid-stretch, something catching his attention across the rug. Harry followed his gaze to find Neville and Dean talking in low whispers, Dean looking serious and Neville looking terrified.

"Eh over there." Ron called, sitting up. "What's the ruckus over there?"

The two glanced at each other wearily, then Dean leaned up and looked towards the stairway that led to the dorms. "Did Minamoto and Kanbara go to be already?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, about ten minutes ago. Why?"

Another shifty glance between the two, then Neville leaned forward with a hesitant whispered. "Lavender heard them…well, all six of them…talking in the Quidditch stands this morning."

"Eavesdropped on them, you mean." Hermione said bluntly. Harry wasn't surprised when no one reacted, Lavender had a reputation for being a terrible gossip-hound.

"Yeah…" Neville nodded. "But this time it's big."

"Big how?" Ron asked, not quite as skeptic as he should have been.

Dean glanced one more time at the stairs, then leaned forward again. "You know the Slytherin transfer?" The three nodded. "Well…She heard them say, out loud, that's he's an honest to goodness _Dark_ wizard."

As Harry took a moment to come to grips with what had just been said, Ron straightened suddenly. "No way!"

Hermione snapped her head up from her book with a glare. "She must have been mistaken."

Dean shook his head. "They said it three or four times. The Ravenclaw girl was asking him if he was insulted by Defense Against the Dark Arts. He kept avoiding the subject, like he was hiding something."

Harry blocked out the following argument, picturing the boy who had asked them for help in the station. He'd been shy…really shy. Never looked him in the eye, not even when he was talking to him. That didn't seam dark…

But then again…They hadn't really talked a lot. And the dark wizards he always encountered tried to avoid his gaze because they knew about Voldemort. And he _had_ been sorted into Slytherin…But he wasn't surprised when he heard Harry's name, like he'd already known it was him…

Some how, he just had the feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

****

TBC…

They've never mentioned in the book what Katie Bell's year is, so I'm just going to place her as a 7th year. That would make her a 2nd year, and a new recruit, when Harry started playing with the team in his first year, and it leaves only one spot for me to fill. And she's never really spoken, so I gave her a personality. Bleh.


	17. A Problem For Kouichi

This is not my best chapter, but to get everything in, these scenes just had to be a little choppy…

For those people who keep asking…YES, the Digimon ARE going to play a part in this. In fact, you'll get your first glimpse in an estimated…(checks plans) Chapter or two, actually. It depends on how everything works out. It's just that there are a few other things that need to be established beforehand, not a lot, just a few.

Oh, and most people's Maho-Kiso is revealed in this chapter. I don't think anyone got them all right, some, however, were very close. Kudos to all, and on with the show…

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

****

Chapter 17: A Problem For Kouichi

Monday afternoon. After a mostly uneventful morning of Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, Kouichi was trekking down the 3rd-floor main staircase, en route to the Slytherin bathrooms. He needed a shower to get the dust and cement chunks out of his hair, which had occurred when Malfoy's miss-fired Blasting Charm hit the bust of Morgan the Malevolent in Flitwick's classroom. He was really rather lucky it hadn't hit him.

Izumi smiled and waved at him as she went past, going the opposite direction with another Ravenclaw girl. He waved back with a small grin, but shied away from talking to her when the other girl gave him a downright poisonous glare.

He was a few steps past them, about half-way down the flight, when there was a huge _BANG_ from behind him. Before he could turn to see what it was, something large and cold, with the indefinite feeling of a spell, hit him in the back with enough force to send him tumbling head-over-heels to the foot of the stairs.

"Kouichi!" Izumi exclaimed, leaving her friend's side to race down after him. She paused a moment to look back up where the shot had come from. Three second-years… Two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw…were running from the scene and laughing.

"Those little brats…" she muttered, then raced down to where Kouichi was regaining his senses.

The boy sat up, having landed in the middle of the seconded floor, and looked rather dazed. Izumi ran down to him and helped him back to his feet. "What hit me?" he asked groggily.

"Some brat's spell." Izumi rolled her eyes. "Probably a random prank…But are you okay, Kouichi?"

"Fine…fine…"

"You're sure?" Izumi pressed. "Remember what happened the last time you fell like that."

Kouichi winced. "Gee, thanks for reminding me…" he muttered, a bit sarcastically.

"Sorry. Just making a point." Izumi felt the back of his head, as though checking for blood. "You're _sure_ you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm sure." he sighed, straightening back to his full-standing position and starting off towards the dungeons. "Thank you…See you at dinner, all right?"

"…All right." Izumi smiled a bit an waved him off, then she glanced back up where the attack had come from. Something about this didn't feel quite right…

****

. . . . . .

Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Tonks.

Definitely one of the strangest experiences of Harry's young life, and that was saying something.

At the start of class, she'd asked everyone to take out their self-assessment essays that she'd assigned for homework the previous class. Then, she promptly conjured the tables into separate groups spread out across the room and marked each with an element name and the corresponding 'Kanji' symbol. Whereupon finishing this task and gathering the class (still profoundly separated into Gryffindor and Slytherin) in the middle of the room, she wrote several lists out on the four chalkboards around the room, the last two scrunched together on the back boards.

The lists turned out to be the second part of their self-analysis. Each section contained a list of certain kinds of likes and dislikes. Whichever ones they had the most in common with, they were told to report to the corresponding group. Those who were confused were to come and confer with the Professor. The transfers, knowing their Maho-Kisos already, simply crossed to whichever group they belonged in and sat down. It took almost half an hour for the rest of the class to figure out where the heck they all went.

To Harry's surprise, neither he, Ron, or Hermione were anywhere near each other. Ron's list had several references to strategy (in the form of chess) and dislikes in confrontation (in the form of spiders, and of his Keeper-problem the year before), which Tonks insisted made him an Earth element.

Harry himself had mostly activities (such as Quidditch) in his 'likes', and events where he had to sit still (Detention, Homework) in his 'dislikes'. As such, he was judged a Fire Element early on, and took a place next to Kouji and Takuya. This situation he found rather baffling, as he'd never met two friends who were more polar opposite of each other. And yet, here they were the same element, while he and Ron were on separate sides of the room…?

It took a few moments for his frazzled brain to realign with the rest of his senses.

Turned out, most of the people in their class were Fire, including a rather lot of the Slytherins. This number, unfortunately, included Draco Malfoy. He was at the opposite end of the table, looking sulky and almost vulnerable without Crabbe and Goyle hovering over him…They'd both been placed in the Earth elements, with Seamus and Ron, and looked vaguely lost without their leader.

Almost immediately, Tonks got them started on tasks to begin to 'build' their elements. Fire Elements were going between two different kinds of spells…_Lumos Maximous_, which was an advanced version of the Lumos spell, and _Incesto Pyro, _an attack spell that they aimed at targets several feet away.

It took a moment for everyone to get used to the noise (Malfoy), the hand motions (Harry), the reactions (Dead) and the pronunciation (Takuya and Kouji), but once they'd all gotten it down, you could tell there was a slight difference. Some of them, like Harry and Takuya, were much better at Incesto Pyro, but Kouji, Dean and the rest were far above them at Lumos Maximous. After a while, Tonks told them to only focus on the one spell they were best at.

The first hour of this was entertaining, but soon Harry started to get bored. He let his mind wander, eyes slipping lazily to the other tables around him.

The Wood students, all six of them, were simply 'practicing their strengths'. Unfortunately, poor Neville was having problems figuring out what his strength _was_, outside the greenhouse, and was just trying to get his wand to do something.

Over at the Earth table, they were doing a very simple shielding spell. This was new to all of them, since most of their Defense training (other than Umbridge) had been in how to fight back, not defend. As it was, Ron and the others were only getting very thin, papery shields that looked like very, very pale Patronus barriers.

The Water table were mixing some sort of healing salve, the kind that Madam Pomfrey created that combined potion making and a spell from their wands. The occupants of said table were almost completely female, including, but not limited to, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil and most of the other Gryffindor girls.

We say most, because Hermione and two other Muggle-borns were in the diminutive Metal group, casting a spell on several small objects to make them sprout wings and fly several inches off the ground. However, only Hermione and Kouichi seamed to be really understanding the spell…actually, the former looked a tad bit bored.

Harry wondered momentarily if the rumors had gotten to Kouichi's ears yet. He wasn't really sure he believed them himself, but, as stories tend to do in a crowded place like Hogwarts, he was sure they'd spread to at least Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff by now. Though everyone seamed to be avoiding the subject in speech when the Japanese students were present, he knew he couldn't be the only one who noticed all the glaring…

He sympathized, in a way. After all, he'd had his own share of unfair rumors…2nd year, when everyone had thought he was the Heir of Slytherin…4th year, when they'd all assumed he'd cheated to enter the tournament…Last year, when everyone and his dog thought he was a lying show-off…

Of course, the only problem would be if the rumors _weren't_ unfair, in which case he didn't know what anyone was going to do.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the few girls at the Wood table lifting her wand away from her own table, pointing it towards the Metals. She aimed carefully, a suspicious smirk spreading over her face before whispering a small spell.

Something that resembled a long, thin chain of gold light shot from her wand and hit the book Kouichi had been charming, which suddenly blew up in mid-hover. The Slytherin transfer, who'd been focusing on the book, jumped back in surprise, his face covered in soot and small flakes of paper.

"Oooh dear, that's a bit smart, ain't it?" Tonks clicked her tongue, hurrying over. "Everyone a'right now, gents?"

Kouichi was trying to get the ash off, so he just nodded. It was Hermione who answered. "Yes ma'am, we're all fine. But the book…"

"Oh, easy enough to fix." Tonks produced a handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed it over Kouichi's cheek. Obviously, it held some kind of a charm, as it got the black off better than before. "Ere we go…No 'arm done. Just a misfired spell, right?"

Harry glanced back at the girl, still sitting at her table. She was snickering, but hiding it behind her hand, and looked rather pleased herself.

'Misfired spell'…Right.

****

. . . . . .

It turned out that Kouichi was encountering quite a few 'misfired spells'. As in, at least one every hour or so.

Besides being knocked down the stairs, tripped by jinxes, and having various things blow up in his face, there were a few things people seamed to have saved special. His books, schoolbag, pens, homework, and anything else he set down outside of the Slytherin common room would suddenly disappear, turning up later with the help of a spacey Ravenclaw girl, Luna Lovegood In the middle of one of his usual daydream-walks on Wednesday afternoon, he somehow found himself shut in a broom-closet and was stuck there until Flitch opened it to yell at Peeves for knocking around his brooms, and he was none too pleased when it turned out to be a student trying to find his way to the door.

Sometime around Friday afternoon, the other transfers started to get a bit concerned, anxious, and, in Kouji's case, annoyed. Enough so that, after failing to get the information out of Harry or the other 5th-year boys, he dragged Takuya along to follow his brother and wait for one of these would-be attackers.

They caught one, a Gryffindor 2nd-year, about to launch a jinx from an alcove on the third floor. Kouji came from one side and Takuya from the other, dragging him back in to the small room and nearly knocking the boy off his feet.

"Hey!" snapped the younger student. "What is your problem?!"

"That's our question." Takuya glared, blocking the only exit. There was a certain fire in his eyes that those who'd seen him fight would recognize as anger.

Kouji's dark eyes flashed the same way as he face down the younger boy, who's name he vaguely recalled as being Jack-something. "Care to explain what you were aiming you wand at, kid?"

The 2nd year looked between them, then gulped nervously as he started to loose his edge. "W-Well, everyone knows 'bout it…"

"About what?" Takuya took a step closer.

"What yeh all were talkin' bout at the Quidditch pitch…One o' the girls heard yeh, every word…"

"Heard _what_?" Kouji snapped, voice rising almost threateningly.

"That he's a bloomin' Dark Wizard, 'at's what we heard!" the boy exclaimed, his nerve starting to snap. "It's all over the bloomin' school, it is! A Dark Wizard, ere, in Hogwarts, o' course we're gettin' at him! He's gonna get 'xpelled anyway, when the 'eadmaster finds out!"

With that outburst, he broke past Takuya and ran off down the hall at full speed. For a second, Kouji looked as though he could go after him, but his body slowly relaxed. He looked at Takuya, and his friend looked back with concerned eyes.

****

. . . . . .

"Expelled?"

The color drained out of Kouichi's face when he heard what Kouji and Takuya had found out, and he leaned against the wall for extra support. It was dinnertime, dessert to be more precise, but they weren't eating. Their small group had gathered outside the Great Hall for an 'emergency announcement' of the gravest kind.

As it was, even Junpei looked as though he'd lost his appetite at the news. Izumi had one hand over her mouth, trying desperately to think of what to say. Tomoki was, like Izumi, speechless in surprise, though he didn't try to hide the fact that his jaw had come unhinged. Takuya was standing closest to the doors, looking almost guilty for having been the barer of bad news. And Kouji was besides his brother, trying figure out some way to help.

Kouichi stared blankly at the ground, coming to terms with it all. "…Dark… Kegareru…Why…"

"Just calm down." Kouji put a hand on his shoulder. The elder twin didn't respond, but slide down to the ground and put his head on his knees.

"There's no way it can be that bad." Izumi tried to work out her own fears, as well as the others, out loud. "I mean, they're not just going to throw you out over a stupid rumor. If you explain it to Professor Dumbledore, I'm sure he'll understand. He'll work everything out, everything's going to be just fine…"

There was a sudden _bang_ that made them all jump. Dessert was over, the doors had opened wide, and the other students were departing to their dorm rooms, talking merrily, with hardly a notice of the transfers. However, there were two figures who did indeed notice them, and they approached with steady gazes.

'They' were Professors McGonagall and Snape, both wearing neigh-identical impartial expressions. They paused a few steps away from the transfers, looking at the boy curled against the wall.

"Mr. Kimura?" the boy looked up at McGonagall's voice.

Snape motioned with his hand. "Get up. The headmaster has been looking for you."

Kouichi hesitated a moment, then stood and followed the teachers nervously. The others sent each other anxious glances. Now what?

**__**

TBC…

Oh, god, I am so glad to have that chapter out of the way. Freakin' hard to write, I tell you, and it still doesn't sound right. Dammit, this is always harder than it seams at first glance…

I am assuming that there are some more fifth-year Gryffindors, other than Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati, seeing as they've named five boys in the year. I've estimated maybe 12 Gryffindors and 13 Slytherins in Harry's year, so 25 in total.

As for the other's Kisos, (since I can't figure out a time introduce them tactfully…)

Junpei - Earth

Tomoki - Wood

Izumi - Water

Yes, Lumos Maximous is from the 3rd movie. Incesto Pyro is something I made up.

Oh, and Hogwarts is a high school…A magic high school, sure, but still a high school. So I made their tricks and jeers as close to real life as I could stand to. Forget what biologists say, teenagers are the most vicious creatures on the face of the earth.


	18. Yin and Yang

I must beg of you: Even though I love long, detailed reviews, please please PLEASE don't correct me on a) my grammar, or b) my use of Japanese. Any grammatical errors are (mostly) my voice, seeing as I've got a really heavy Texas accent in all senses of the words. As for Japanese…I haven't even completed one semester yet, and I'm taking it over satellite. I'm relying on a Japanese-to-English dictionary that doesn't tell you how to string the words together…So back off a little, okay?

By the way…the Maho-Kiso terms AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN JAPANESE!!! They're CHINESE!! Explanation at the bottom!

Oh, and about Kouichi getting picked on, but the others not…The only people who know how good of friends the group really is are Harry, Ron, Hermione and maybe Ginny. They just know that they all came from the same shrine in Japan, and that Kouji and Kouichi are twins. You have to admit, they don't really try to broadcast their friendship around school…(Kouichi, mostly, but that's for safety reasons…)

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

****

Chapter 18: Yin and Yang

Kouichi followed the two teachers anxiously. McGonagall had the look of the concerned but stern professor she was, but Snape, the Head of his own house, was absolutely impassive. Neither image did anything to soothe the poor boy's nerves, and he was most certain he was about to be expelled, for sure.

_"I'm sorry, Hakaishi-sensei."_ he whispered in his mind, biting his lip and gazing back at the ground. _"I tried to keep it secret, really I did…"_

They came to a stop in front of a large gargoyle, the two professors standing on either side like prison guards. Kouichi suppressed a frightened whimper as he looked up at the huge statue.

"…Fever Fudge." McGonagall muttered disdainfully. The gargoyle sprang aside easily, reveling a long, winding staircase.

Snape gave the boy a small push towards the entrance. "In." he said gruffly, and they lead him up the stairs.

At the top of the highest landing was a large, intimidating wooden door. McGonagall raised her hand and knocked smartly. "Professor Dumbledore?"

A muffled response. "Come in, Minerva, come in."

Kouichi gulped as the doors opened, and he was escorted into the headmaster's office. It was large and spacious, almost like a fabulous observatory, with a huge globe in the very middle. Dozens of huge bookcases and cabinets lined the walls, filled with thick, worn books and complicated, almost delicate instruments.

In the center was a huge, well-worn wooden desk, scattered with papers, books and other odd things. It was here that the headmaster sat, writing in what seamed to be a large diary.

He looked up through his half-moon spectacles as they entered, smiling slightly when he saw the boy. "Ah. Mr. Kimura." he sighed, closing his book and motioning to the chair in front of the desk. "Sit down, please, sit down."

Kouichi did as he was told, pausing a moment to gaze in awe at the remarkable, gold-plumed phoenix perched beside the old man. The bird turned its head and looked at him with one big, blue eye, then jumped off his perch and hopped to the arm of the chair. He looked the boy straight in the eye, then rolled his head from side to side, examining him with scrutiny.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Fawkes is an excellent judge of character, Mr. Kimura." he said sagely. "It's no small feet to win a phoenix's approval."

Kouichi's hand hovered a moment over the bird, tempted to stroke it but afraid he would be bitten or burned if he tried. Fawkes seamed to sense his hesitation and lifted his head to butt against the bare palm, pushing it down his neck and across his feathered back.

The boy smiled just a little, then looked back up at the headmaster. His eyes were wide with nervousness, giving him the image of a small puppy cornered by a gang of alley cats.

"…Are you going to send me home, Professor?" he asked in a hesitant whisper.

"Home?" Dumbledore shook his head, standing. "Dear boy, I'm not going to have you expelled over a simple rumor."

Kouichi relaxed visibly. The headmaster smiled a bit wider and continued, moving around the desk. "I would, however, like to hear your side of the tale, if you would. What, do you suppose, could have lead to this assumption?"

Kouichi shifted slightly, running his hand down Fawkes's back absent-mindedly. "I…I suppose someone…must have…heard us talking…"

"By 'us', I take it you mean yourself and the other transfers." Dumbledore nodded, gazing at one of the spinning objects. "Did, in any recent conversation, you or any of your friends mention your 'practicing' of Dark arts?"

"It's was a mistranslation, sir." Kouichi said quietly.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"

Kouichi took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. "I'm not like that, professor." he said quietly. "I could never be like that again…"

"Again?" McGonagall interrupted, then fell silent with a motion from the headmaster.

The old man turned to face the boy. "Please elaborate, Mr. Kimura. We need to know as much as we can."

Kouichi froze. He couldn't tell them, not the real story. It was their secret, after they'd come home, they'd all sworn never to tell anyone about Cherubimon, or the Digital World, or…

"Mr. Kimura?"

He took another deep breath, to compose himself, then became very interested with the carved leg of the desk. There was silence a moment, then he spoke.

"A…A few years ago…" he whispered quietly. "S-Someone…someone tried to use me…like that. I…I swear, though, I didn't know…what they were doing…What I was doing…" another deep breath. "They…I nearly…They made me…hurt…some of the people that are closest to me."

He looked up then, eyes wide like a wounded animal. "I could never be like that again, sir."

Dumbledore nodded gently, coming to stand by the boy's side. Kouichi continued to look up at him, worried and nervous. He patted him on the shoulder.

"Kouichi." he said warmly. "According to the records sent by your former teachers, am I correct in assuming that your Maho-Kiso is of the Yin variety?"

Kouichi gaped at him a moment, but nodded. The headmaster's smile widened to its fullest extent, and he straightened.

"Then we have no more to worry about." he said confidently. "It's easy enough to remedy…Minerva?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Please fetch Professor Tonks…She should be down in the kitchens, if I'm correct…and tell her I need to see her about a change in lesson plans." the woman nodded and exited, and he turned to the other teacher. "Severus, if you will escort Mr. Kimura here back to his common room. I trust a safe night's sleep will do him much good."

Snape nodded, motioning to the boy. Kouichi stood and, with a quick bow to the Headmaster, followed after his Head of House.

They didn't say anything during the long walk, which was not surprising in the least. Kouichi had never been very good at small talk, even amongst his friends, and he'd never so much as spoken to the Potions teacher before, not to mention that Snape didn't say much in the first place.

However, they did not go straight to the common room when they reached the dungeons, rather, Snape turned the opposite direction. Kouichi was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize where they were going until he opened the door to the Potions classroom.

"Inside, Kimura." Snape motioned at the door. The boy stared a moment, then did as he said. "Sit down. This will only take a moment."

Kouichi sat gingerly at one of the tables in the front of the room, watching the Potions Master curiously. In a few moments, one of the cauldrons was boiling with a strange, thick, light blue liquid over a pit in the middle of the room. Snape had a slightly bored look of concentration as he added ingredients, not really looking at them or at the student, gazing deeply into the boiling potion.

"You were rather sloppy, Kimura." he said, almost conversationally. "There are very few wizards of the Yin variety, and even fewer who know of it. Those who are both, rather wisely, keep it to themselves."

Kouichi shifted. No reason to tell him that's what he'd been trying to do… Besides, he'd watched him in class. Snape was very irritable when he was interrupted.

"Humans have never been known to be the most welcoming species in the world, Kimura." Snape's voice had gotten low as he began slowly stirring whatever concoction he was preparing. "Those who are different…Those with imperfections or abnormalities, other humans shun without regard. Their feelings are of no interest to those who find them inferior, their only intent is to tear them down until there is nothing left."

Kouichi was just a little surprised. The way the teacher was speaking…it was almost as though he knew exactly what…

The Potions Master picked up a smooth wooden cup, dipping a ladle into the potion. "In their attempt to escape this torture, those who are different tend to stop caring for other's emotions, and soon focus only on their own. Keeping them hidden, the only way to fight back is to become that which they despise…Sometimes, they are even worse."

"If those people were to group together.…" he set the cup in front of him, the milky-blue liquid already cool. "…It usually helps."

Kouichi stared blankly at the potion, and Snape moved to clean up the remains in the cauldron. It was several moments before Kouichi had put the information together enough to ask.

"Professor…were you…are you…?"

Unseen to the boy, Snape smirked slightly. "Drink up, Kimura." he ordered. "Your dormmates tell me you've had trouble sleeping. The drought should help, at least for the night."

"…Yes, sir."

"Kouichi!"

The boy turned around to find Izumi running up to him through the Great Hall, Tomoki and Junpei on her heels. It was breakfast time, Saturday morning. So far he'd managed to dodge two Trip Jinxes and a flying plate, the last one with the help of Goyle, who'd intercepted it in mid-route and tossed it like a Frisbee.

Izumi slide to a stop and, quite suddenly, threw her arms around his shoulders. A fast blush rose into Kouichi's cheeks. "I-Izumi…"

"Izumi, girl, let up." Junpei muttered, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "Give the guy some air."

"I'm sorry." Izumi released, straightening again. "I know you're not the touchy-feely type…But we were all so worried about you!"

"Yeah…" Tomoki sighed, smiling a bit. "We thought you were gonna be expelled! Kouji's gonna be so glad…"

"Speaking of which…" Kouichi glanced around. "Where _is _my brother? And Takuya?"

The other three grinned slightly, glancing at each other sheepishly. Junpei rubbed his head slightly, looking more than a little awkward. Kouichi glanced between them. "What?"

"They're in…Detention." Tomoki grinned.

"Detention?!" Kouichi's eyes widened. "For what?"

"Well…" Izumi laughed a bit. "Right after the Professors came and got you, there were a lot of rumors flying around. You know, crazy stuff, like you were going to be expelled or arrested. And a couple of fifth years…a few Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw… Starting laughing about the whole thing. And, well…"

"Kouji snapped." Junpei finished up. "The guy was walking on eggshells in the first place…Knocked the first guy into a wall, then got into a fistfight with one of his buddies. And you know how Takuya is, jumped right on in after him."

"Flitwick and Sprout broke them up eventually." Izumi finished. "All six of them…Kouji, Takuya and the fifth-years…wound up with early-morning detention for a week."

Kouichi gave them a look which clearly read 'you're kidding, right?' The others grinned slightly, before splitting up and returning to their separate tables.

When Defense Against the Dark Arts started on Tuesday, Tonks seamed strangely serious. She shifted nervously at her desk, directing the class quickly to their separate tables but giving no other instructions. For about five minutes, the class whispered amongst themselves anxiously, then the young Professor stood and silenced them.

"Well folks, there…seams to have been some problems lately…" she glanced at Kouichi meaningfully. "…which I hope I can help with."

She sighed once, pointing her wand at the chalkboard. It seamed to flip over, into the wall, to reveal an odd symbol drawn in chalk. It was a circle, separated into two relative by a curved line. One side was colored white, with a blank black circle in the edge of the curve, and the other was black with a white circle.

"Anybody know what this symbol means?"

The transfers remained quiet. Hermione raised her hand, and responded when she as called on. "It's called…Um…I think it's Tai-chi, or Yin-Yang…I think it's supposed to symbolize light and darkness."

"Close, very close." Tonks sighed. "Five points to Gryffindor…Yes, this is symbol is known as Tai-chi in some parts of the world, and light and darkness do play a part in it, but that's not the whole story…"

She turned to face the class, thinking a moment. "Can anyone tell me the precise definitions of Yin and Yang?" she glanced around. No one raise their hand. "Come on now, anyone? Transfers, I know it's not your native tongue, but you should at least know it from the Kanji." Still nothing. "No? Well, all right then…"

She picked up a book from her desk and tapped a page with her wand. The book shook and rumble until the page ripped itself out (Harry could almost hear Hermione crying for it) and enlarged itself so that it was the size of a slide-show display.

It contained a hand-drawn version of the same symbol, as well as the star-shaped diagram Tonks had used in the first class, and an odd circle of twelve animals, including a rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Tonks summoned over a long, thin stick with her wand and point at the first diagram. "Yin and Yang are most accurately translated as 'shadowed' and 'sunny'." she began, and once again Harry was a bit surprised at how serious she was. "The white is the sun, and, naturally, the black is the shadow. Nowadays, the terms will mean all sorts of things…as long as they are opposites.

"Yang is Light, Life, Day, Active, Masculine and Heat. Yin is all of Yang's opposites…Darkness, Death, Night, Passive, Feminine and Cold." Tonks sighed. "Neither is good, and neither is evil. They are simply…opposite. Separate, but equal. But, at the same time, there is always a little Yin in Yang…and a bit of Yang in Yin, which is represented by these circles."

She tapped the circles with her pointer. Hermione scribbled down some more notes, nodding in understanding, but she and the transfers were the only ones. Everyone else looked immensely confused.

"The details are long and complicated, it takes years to understand them correctly." Tonks sighed. "As it stands in the West, only scholars and theologians really understand the principal. However, in Japan and China, where the philosophy originated, it is taught in almost every Buddhist-based shrines, and most Shinto ones as well.

"These factors of Yin and Yang also have a principal in Maho-Kiso." Tonks was quiet a moment, then sighed again. "And that, I believe, is the root of our problem."

There was another moment of silence as she contemplated what to say next. "…Does anyone know the Muggle Principal of positive and negative charges?"

Muggle-Born wizards nodded, while the Wizard-Borns looks profoundly confused. A few people raised their hands, but Tonks didn't call on anyone.

"There is a principal of Muggle science that says electricity can hold either a positive or a negative charge." Tonks said quietly. "The same idea goes for atomic charge, which alchemists learn, and, in a way, to magic."

A slight smile crept across her face. "But, for those of you who aren't taking Magical Theory this year, this might need a bit more explanation."

Tonks spun on her heels, flicking her wand towards the paper display. It shrank back to normal size and re-inserted itself into the book, as though it had never left. It was replaced by a fuzzy projection that reminded Harry of the holograms in some science fiction show he'd seen Dudley watching. It showed the outline of a human body, with a sort of stream running through it, like diagrams of how your blood flows in medical textbooks.

Tonks dimmed the lights and turned out to the class, gazing up at the slightly glowing projection. "Magic is simply a redistribution of a charge that flows through the human body. Those who have a certain level of this charge, and the capacity to harness it, are known as Wizards. Those who don't or can't are Muggles, or Squibs."

"When you use spells, it works the same way as Muggle electricity…It flows from your body into a conductor, or your wand core, and is reformed into a new kind of energy, in the form of a spell.

"Now this energy also works under the same principal as the Muggle forms of energy…There can be positive and negative flows. Spells work very much on this principal, as some, such as Lumos and Expelliarmus, have a positive charge, while others…more difficult ones, to we in the west, such as Reducio and Impervious…hold a negative charge. The wand motions, incantations, and level of magic put in to the conductor will determine how the spells turns out.

"The magic energies within wizards also holds a charge." Tonks seamed quite serious now, turning out to the class. "Some people have more positive charge flowing through them, and are called Yang in Maho-Kiso. Others have a negative charge and are labeled Yin. It is not impossible to use a spell with the opposite charge of your own magic, but it is more difficult."

This seams to have been the point of her lecture, because dissipated all her examples, restored the lights, and moved to the very middle of the room so everyone could see her.

"I must tell you that _Yin_ wizards and _Dark_ wizards, are not…and I repeat, they are _not_…the same thing. Yin wizards are those who have more skill and control over negatively-charged spells. Dark wizards are those who use spells…Yin or Yang…with the intent of gaining power or harming others. It's a matter of morals and intents, not of spells and likeness. And please note that two of the three Unforgivable Curses are of the Yang variety."

The class was in a hush now. Those who understood were in awe of the philosophy behind it all, and those who did not understand were just plain shocked dumb.

Tonks began walking around the room slowly, not really looking at anyone. "Yin wizards are very rare in this part of the world. It's mostly because of our group teachings, those who are Yin at birth are eventually trained so well to work in Yang magics that there is no longer any difference. However, places such as Japan and China separate the two trainings, each honing their own skills and working specifically on their weaknesses. As such, their correlation of Yin-to-Yang is about…oh, 1-to-3."

For a moment, she was quiet again. Then she spoke with a determined voice. "Yin wizards are no different for Yang wizards. There's probably at least five or six of you in class today who would've been trained as a Yin if you'd been born in Japan. But there are miscommunications. You hear something you don't understand…" she glanced at Lavender, who slipped a bit lower in her chair, "…and a rumor is started. Rumors get out of hand. People get hurt. None of it is right. I hope all of you can understand that."

There was silence. Then she sighed, and turned to smile at the group. "All right then. If you will all please begin practice on the spells assigned to you yesterday, we'll get right back on track. Wands out, and get moving!"

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TBC…

Wow. It worked. Snape can be nice AND in character at the same time! Yea! Mama was right! (don't ask) Jeez, but the second half was one long explanation…Sorry! Main plot resumes in next chapter! And I do hope it wasn't too confusing…

Yin, Yang and all forces attributed (save the name) to Maho-Kiso are CHINESE, not Japanese. Japan is, compared to China, a relatively new Asian nation. It just seams more plausible for most magical theory to have developed there, seeing as Buddhism was incorporated and taught alongside the Japanese Shinto. (Again, don't ask…That's the anthropologist talking)

Oh, and for the person who did ask: Kouji is fire, but his specialty, if you notice, is spells that produce energy and light, not attacks like Harry and Takuya. One of the big things about the Fire elemental is that it and wood are the most versatile.


	19. Gryffindor Versus Slytherin

As a note: This marks my third holiday season on FF .netAnd I have discovered that the holidays are, by far, the worse time of the year for me. Everything slows down, espessially my writing. So please be paitent.

Oh, and I'm glad at least three out of five people understood the explanation… that's about the ratio of Hogwarts students as well. I sort've…well, I made up a lot of the Maho-Kiso stuff, to go with magic. The basic information I got from this Chinese astrology book and my Encarta Encyclopedia CD ROM. Besides, the electricity-to-magic comparison will come in handy later on…(Hint hint)

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Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

Chapter 19: Gryffindor Versus Slytherin

Another Wednesday morning found Kouichi and Draco en route to the hospital wing. Both had a large, purple, scale-like rash covering their hands and arms from a blotched potion that had boiled over. Malfoy was not particularly happy about this.

"You really are pathetic in Potions, aren't you, Kimura?" he muttered, gazing in distaste at his hands, which were held out in front of him.

"If you know that, why do you keep working with me?" Kouichi asked quietly. He held his out as well, trying not spread it any farther, though his elbows were starting to wear out.

"Because it's easier than getting Crabbe or Goyle to get it right." Malfoy sniffed. "At least _you_ can follow instructions when they're given."

Kouichi was silent a moment, then spoke up again. "Listen, Malfoy…I've got an offer for you."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What kind of offer?"

"Obviously, I'm no good in Potions." Kouichi raised his hands in example, the edge of the rash was now starting to sprout out like feathers. "And I've noticed that you could be doing better in Charms…"

"I'm doing just fine!" Malfoy snapped. It was a flat-out lie, Charms had always been his worst subject, much to his and his father's chagrin.

"The point is…" Kouichi sighed. "We both need help. You're good in Potions, and even my old teacher said I was better at spell-casting than most people."

Draco frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"A trade." Kouichi smiled just a bit, looking very shy. "You help me in Potions, I tutor you in Charms. We both come out the better for it. What've we got to loose?"

Draco's frown lightened just a little, but his pale eyebrows were still almost touching in scrutiny. It was rather unlike a Slytherin to just offer their services out of the blue…But, then again, Kimura was getting something out of it as well. And if it meant preventing more visits to the hospital wing…

Kouichi smiled just a bit. "Deal?"

"…Deal."

The weeks went by very quickly, and before anyone had really come to terms with it, September was over and an unusually cold October had begun. With a furry of weekend training session, biting cold weather and falling leaves, the first Quidditch match of the season had finally arrived.

As per tradition, it was the intense rivalry of Slytherin against Gryffindor for this opening match. The tension between the two raised exponentially in the days counting down to the game. It was particularly annoying to Kouji, seeing as, because of the 'Dark Magic' rumor, Malfoy and his flunkies had taken to 'escorting' Kouichi from class to class…mostly by grabbing his arms and all but dragging him down the hallways.

After what seamed like an eternity of trip jinxes, hallway fights and ambushes, the day had finally arrived.

Harry adjusted the strap on his wrist guards, glancing out at the Gryffindor team. Takuya and Andrew were leaning against the wall by the door, the transfer tapping his bat in the other palm with barely-contained excitement. Katie was helping Ginny pull her hair back for the game, in a rather trickily-charmed pony tail that kept it out of her face, stayed nice even when windblown, and wouldn't strangle her as she flew. Ron was right beside him, checking twigs of his broom, while Lance Mitchell was sitting in the corner, trying to calm himself.

There was the slight buzz of the magical amplifier coming on across the stadium. "Good afternoon, Hogwarts!" a female voice buzzed. It was Camilla (or 'Cam') Jordan, Lee Jordan's younger sister, taking over her alumni brother's commentary. "And welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season…the long-awaited Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"

The crowd cheered loudly. "May I present to you…lead by Captain-Seeker Harry Potter and Chaser Katie Bell…The Gryffindor House Team!"

Harry had to grin a bit. Cam was really going all out, determined to take her brother's place in glory, and she could be pretty energetic for a third year. The red-robed team mounted their brooms and, with a signal from Harry, shot off into the pitch, looping around and coming to a stop in the center.

The Gryffindor fans, wrapped up in their red and gold scarves against the unusually cold weather, cheered loudly. The Slytherins booed. Takuya grinned and waved twice, first toward Tomoki and Kouji in the Gryffindor stands, then to Izumi in the Ravenclaw.

"And now…" Cam continued, drawing attention again. "The opponents and long-time rivals…lead by Captain-Chaser Romulus Montague and Seeker Draco Malfoy…The Slytherin House Team!"

The green-robed team zipped out on their gleaming Nimbus 2001s, coming to a stop to complete the circle the Gryffindors had started. Harry and Malfoy, positioned exactly across from one another, exchanged poisonous glares, as did the other pairs of opposites. Well, except for Takuya, who looked almost playful as he grinned openly between Crabbe and Goyle with an odd glint in his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed that Kouichi wasn't sitting with the Slytherin fans. He was in the Ravenclaw stands, next to Orimoto, clapping with the Slytherins but keeping a pleasant smile towards Takuya. He also wasn't wearing a one of the standard-issue Slytherin scarves either…he wore an old, tattered brown one that looked home-knit, like the ones Mrs. Weasley made for Christmas.

Madam Hooch flew out on the field, blowing her whistle for silence. She came to a stop in the middle of the circle, waiting for the crowds to quiet down before she spoke.

"I want a good, clean game, you lot." she said, as brisk as she had the very first Slytherin-Gryffindor game Harry had entered, though the prospects of the order being obeyed were slim to none. "I'm keeping an eye on all of you, and I expect that any hospital wing visits will be from _normal _injuries. Understand?"

The group nodded, both sides looking slightly annoyed. "Captains shake hands."

Harry nudged his broom forward, facing off with Montague. For a moment they glared at each other, then both offered their hands reluctantly and tried their best to break the other's fingers.

"Players to their positions!" Madam Hooch called, holding the Quaffle in her hands and placing her whistle between her lips. She glanced both ways with those piercing, gold eyes of hers, then let out a blast on the whistle and tossed the ball into the air.

"And they're off!" Cam exclaimed excitedly. "Slytherin Chaser Warrington grabs the Quaffle off the bat, heavily pursed by Gryffindor Chaser Ginny Weasley…who, if you will remember, filled in for now-Captain Potter as Seeker many a game last year and preformed marvelously, perhaps beyond the standards of all four of her brothers…Oh, sa-WEET move there, snatched it right out from under Warrington's big nose!"

Harry grinned, glancing at Ginny from his place high above the field. The redhead had an excited, feisty look in her eyes, like she was ready to take on every major Quidditch team in the world.

"And Miss Weasley's taken off across the field as fast as that Comet can carry 'er! And expert dodge past a Bludger, sent her way by Slytherin Beater Goyle…nice try, yeh big ape, but not nice enough! Here comes Slytherin Keeper Bletchley, looks like it might be a difficult shot for Weasley…No, Mitchell! Weasley drops the ball straight down to new Gryffindor Chaser Lance Mitchell, who makes for the goal and…SCORE!"

The Gryffindor fans cheered wildly as Takuya made a loop-the-loop to turn around, zooming back with a whoop to high-five Ginny in congratulations, and knock away a Bludger that was only a few feet from connecting with Lance's head.

"That makes the score 10-to-nil, Gryffindor, as Bletchley passes the ball off to Chaser Pucey." Cam continued, on the edge of her seat herself. "He grabs on and is across the field as fast as that Nimbus can carry him. Mitchell's on his tail, but it looks like this one's going to come down to the Gryffindor Keeper Ron Weasley…Miss Ginny's elder brother, who's spectacular performance secured the Cup for Gryffindor last season… Pucey fires the Quaffle, Wesley dives…A block! Oh, but here comes Warrington under Pucey, and…barely missing a fowl there, if Pucey hadn't pulled out of the Keeper's range…Watch out, Ron!"

Ron was watching out, but it was hard to do. Warrington was coming straight at him, ball in hand and a devilish look on his face. Ron held his ground as long as he could, waiting for the Quaffle to be thrown, but five inches from a collision he had no other choice. He sloth-rolled out of the way, and…

"Score for Slytherin!" Cam yelled, no less elated than her brother would have been. "Nice try there, Ron. That makes it tied at ten…"

Harry tried to block out the commentary a bit more, gazing down at the field, searching for any glint of gold. There was a bit of distraction, the noise, the game, all the colors of the scarves…

"Oh, that's gonna leave a mark! Montague drops the Quaffle after being hit up the head with a Bludger, sent his way by new Gryffindor Transfer Takuya Kanbara…my, he looks like he's having fun, doesn't he?"

A flash of light…There! No, wait…It was only the sun reflecting off Takuya's goggles, which he had insisted on wearing 'for good luck'.

The Gryffindor Seeker furled his brow in concentration, scanning the pitch as best he could. Malfoy was flying laps around the stadium in his search, but if you were moving too fast it was easy to mess up…

A glint of gold amongst the Ravenclaw stands! Harry focused on it instantly, the Golden Snitch, hovering just below the blue-and-silver bedecked fans.

He yanked his Firebolt around and went into a dive, moving to follow it as it swerved away. Malfoy noticed him and followed suit, spotting the Snitch a few moments later, once he had caught up.

Harry dove forward, eyes locked on the Snitch, trying to avoid collision with the other players as he did. Malfoy was on his tail, trying to gain speed, biting his lip. They were only inches from the Snitch, one of them was bound to grab it any second now…

Something black and undefined suddenly crossed into his field of vision. Harry realized it was heading right for him five seconds before it would have knocked him off his broom and rolled out of the way at the last moment. He heard Malfoy yelp behind him as the Slytherin Seeker yanked his broom up.

"What the heck is _that_?!" Cam exclaimed, and the crowd mirrored her shock. Even the players nearly fell off their brooms as the odd, dark shape soared around and around the field. "Okay, what kind of freaky spell did somebody put on that cloak?! I like a good prank as much as the next bloke, but this is ridiculous!…AND WHAT THE HECK IS _THAT_?!"

A collective gasp rose from the crowd, many jumping to their feet, and the game stopped in its tracks. With a few flickers, almost like a broken television set, the black cloak had vanished, revealing…a bird.

At least that's what it looked like, a large pink bird, at least as 4 feet tall and bright pink, its flapping wings moving more like arms, tipped with dark red claws. The fathers on its head were tipped with blue, framing large blue eyes and a thick, red beak. Its large, clawed yellow feet hung beneath it, dangling in the wind.

"It's that…?" Tomoki wondered out loud, but didn't finish as Kouji quickly covered his mouth. Izumi let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Kouichi went rigid next to her, a look of shocked recognition in his eyes. Junpei began choking on the food he'd been eating.

"No…Way…" Takuya whispered, open-mouthed.

The bird let out a loud shriek that sounded almost like words, sending a spiraling green energy out of its beak and into the side of the Hufflepuff stands, leaving a small, smoking hole. Then it soared back upwards, almost right at Harry, before dissolving into the black cloak and vanishing once again.

For a split moment, Harry remember the large, black shape moving slowly down Privet Drive, vanishing just as he tried to get a better look, and nearly fell off his broom with the shock.

Then he noticed the Snitch hovering just below where the creature had been, and, as though in instinct, shot forward and snatched it out of the air.

It took the Gryffindor team ten minutes to realize they'd won.

Takuya came out of the Gryffindor locker rooms, changed back into his normal robes and looking very perturbed. As he expected, the other five were waiting for him just outside the stadium, all with very concerned looks on their faces.

"Tell me you guys saw that." he mumbled off the bat.

"If you mean a Biyomon appearing in the middle of the game…yeah, we all saw it." Kouji nodded, his stern gaze of concentration almost clashing with his brother's worried face beside him.

"But…We _couldn't_ have seen that, right guys?" Tomoki piped up. "I mean… Digimon _can't_ be in the Real World, we _know_ that!"

"How else to you explain it?" Junpei asked. "I mean, there's no kind of creature around here that looks like that. Sure, we've seen some weirder things, but…"

"…But this just feels wrong." Izumi finished, frowning.

For a moment, they were all silent. Then Tomoki said something in a very, very, quiet voice. "…I wonder what Bokomon and Naemon are doing right now."

That evening, alone in the Common Room, Ron and Hermione listened patiently to Harry's description of the black shape down Privet drive. Both wore looks of confusion and concentration as he finished, looking rather perturbed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this earlier, Harry?" Hermione asked as soon as he was done. "Someone at the Order, or one of us…"

"I didn't really think about it." Harry shrugged. "After it happened, I just…Forgot about it. I didn't think it was important."

"You think…" Ron, then redid his thoughts. "You think it was another one of…_those_ things? Like the one on the field today?"

"It seams like it, doesn't it?" Hermione had a look of deep thought on her face. "I've never heard of anything like it. I wonder if someone's experimenting with illegal breeding…"

Harry frowned and gazed out the window at the moon. He had an odd feeling about this. He just wasn't sure what it was…

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TBC…

I couldn't find Montague's first name, so I made one up.

Cam Jordan is not cannon. Once again, I created her and Gryffindor Chaser Lance Mitchell to fill in missing gaps. But I really like Cam…


	20. Aniversery In Hogsmeade

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Midori: (my six-inch tall laptop persocom-style muse) So, author-lady, you've been working on this fic a while now.

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GS: I blame you, it's all your bright idea.

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Midori: So why have you been so edgy about it? You seam to be having fun.

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GS: Sure, I'm having fun. It's the readers I'm worried about.

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Midori: They like it, don't they?

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GS: Yeah…

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Midori: So what's the problem?

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GS: (shows a certain few semi-threatening reviews from an unnamed reader)

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Midori: (reads them) O.O… Light sabers and old Power Rangers memorabilia?

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GS: I told you…

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Midori: Maybe you should change your e-mail address, just to be safe.

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Note: I'm using American names for the Digimon. Why? Because it's less confusing for me that way.

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Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

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Chapter 20: Anniversary In Hogsmeade

A flash of gold shone as the warrior leapt forward, his staff flying, purple energy sparking within him. His dark brown eyes shown under the glossy black armor, serious and worried at the same time, reaching out with his free hand.

"Kouichi…" he called, in a deep, passive, calming voice. "Listen to me…You need to come…"

There was an explosion that rocked you to the very bone. The lion-warrior leapt back, staff flying as fast as he could to keep up. One last explosion covered the line of sight with a cloud of dust as the warrior disappeared…

Kouichi burst awake, gasping for breath. He panted a moment, staring wildly around him at the darkness of his Slytherin-dorm bed, before one soft, whispered word escaped his lips.

"Lowemon…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"You were dreaming."

Junpei's words had a finalizing tone to them, but they all knew that wasn't the end of it. It was early Saturday afternoon, a week after the Quidditch match. The six were walking in a small bunch, slightly separate from the rest of the students as they made their way down to Hogsmeade for the first weekend of the year. Kouichi had just finished telling them what he had been seeing recently.

"Yes, it was a dream." said twin sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But I've been having it ever since we came here, and I know what I saw: It. Was. Lowemon."

"Let's think about this rationally…" Kouji pulled his gaze away from the landscape, the trees of the forest turning orange and red in the distance. "You've been having these dreams for weeks, right?" Kouichi nodded. "But, until last night, you couldn't figure out what they meant or anything about them…"

"They were fuzzy. This one was clearer than ever."

"But what I'm _saying_ is…" Kouji sighed. "We all saw that Biyomon at the stadium the other day. Maybe your mind was looking for some way to tie the two together, so you interpreted the dream you've been having with what made the most sense at the time…"

Kouichi gave him a most uncharacteristically annoyed look. It was obvious that he was tired of trying to get them to believe him, but there was also a gleam in his eyes that said he still held fast to his claim.

"Anyway…" Izumi brightened with a smile. "Let's not argue about that right now. Hogsmeade is supposed to be a great place, so let's split up and have a little fun, okay? Like a carnival or something!"

"Just remember when to meet back up." Junpei added as they split off. "We don't want to miss 'it'."

Without a question to what 'it' was, they were gone in their separate ways.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

There was a reason Harry always loved Hogsmeade. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, he just knew he loved it.

Maybe it was the feel of freedom that he'd so lacked for eleven and a half years. Maybe it was the Quidditch shop, or Zonko's, or Honeydukes. Or maybe it was just the felling of magic that hung around the old town, like a comforting blanket of total and complete security.

Whatever it was, he always looked forward to these trips more than anything else.

He was currently wandering the streets alone, seeing as Hermione was up to her neck in the book store and Ron was arguing with the saleswitch in the Quidditch supply shop. Killing time to wait for them both, he felt content to just stroll along the edge of the town, going near the Shrieking Shack, to just past the Hog's Head before turning around. It was a nice course for clearing your mind, which he was, until something strange outside the old pub caught his ear.

Two hunched-over figures wearing heavy cloaks…he suspected a hag out of at least one of them…were seated at a grungy table outside the Hog's Head, clutching large, steaming mugs of Firewhiskey. Their cackling conversation floated over the almost-bare streets like the leaves scattering from the trees:

"Did'ja here 'bout the strange beast 'at appeared up at 'Ogwarts?" one of them asked the other in a heavy, indefinable accent. Harry paused across the street, pretending to watch something in the distance as he listened.

"Eh, the odd bird, you mean?" the other asked in an equally just-loud-enough tone. "I 'ear Dumbledore's not so sure 'bout that one, either…"

"It ain't a registered creature, 'at's fer sure." the first added. "Ol' 'Agrid was done 'ere last week, lookin' for any info heh could get his 'ands on…"

"They ain't gonna find nuthin', I tell yeh." her friend chimed in. "It was all just one o' them mass hallucinations…"

"Eh, that's just deh excuse they give when a group o' Muggles wanders in where dey shouldn't be." the first one waved her hand. "But I tell yeh, now, someun' was sayin' dat You-Know-Who's been experimenting with cross-breeding for new weapons…"

Harry moved on, now deep in thought about artificial breeding…pink birds that attacked Quidditch matches…and, for some odd reason, there came the memory of Takuya's face when the bird had appeared. That surprised, shocked…knowing look, as though he understood what it was, as though he was only surprised that it was there, not that it was what it was.

He turned back and started his way towards town, clearing his mind. That was stupid, he was just trying to connect things he shouldn't be. The transfers weren't hiding something…there's no way they could be…

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The twins slipped into the crowded main room of the Three Broomsticks right at 5:50. It took them a few minutes to locate the other four, crowded around a round table in the far corner, holding large mugs almost over-flowing with some kind of fuzzy, golden liquid.

"Hey guys!" Takuya waved them over, pressing a mug into each of their hands. "You're right on time."

Kouji examined his mug with confusion as they sat down. "What is this stuff?"

"The woman at the counter called it 'Butterbeer'." Tomoki piped, wiping off his frothy mustache. "Go on, try it! It's really good, warms you all the way up."

The twins glanced at each other, shrugged, and took a sip. Both wore large grins when they brought the mugs down, and Kouichi closed his eyes a moment, obviously enjoying the warmth as it spread down to his toes.

Izumi turned in her chair and looked up at the clock, now slowly ticking its way up to 5:59. "It's almost time."

The others looked up as well. They must have looked odd, watching the clock as a group, counting down the seconds in their mind. They'd done this every year, on this exact same date, for the past five years, and it never lost its feeling. It was almost like New Year's, counting down the seconds to the exact moment when their trains had left for the Digital World.

None of them had really been sure if all their adventures there had actually taken place in that short a time, or whether they had simply been thrown back in time when the Digital World had been set to rights. They generally tended to side with the first idea, seeing as the second left Kouichi in a rather problematic situation.

But either way, they somehow managed to meet every year, right at the exact time they estimated their first meeting. Seeing it was the only accurate time they could come up with, they'd all agreed on the top of the hour.

With a few last clicks, the clock struck six.

"Alrighty then!" Takuya raised his glass, a bit of the froth splashing out. He wore a smile, but kept his voice low enough that anyone listening in wouldn't understand him. "Here's to it, guys! To the defeat of Lucemon!"

"The rebirth of the Legendary Warriors!" Junpei chimed in, adding his own mug.

"Not to mention they day we all met." Izumi giggled a bit as the rest of them raised their glasses so that they touched.

Takuya grinned around at them. "Five years and counting." he laughed eagerly. "Friends to the end! Kampai!"

_"Kampai!"_

**__**

TBC…

Ack…That was a hard chapter to write…And it sucked, dammit! I HATE it when I can't write right! I just had to put it in…You can't just skip the Hogsmeade weekends, but nothing eventful happened this time…Trust me, there's an event in the next chapter, promise promise! And it's much better! Much much better!!

Kampai a common Japanese toast. The English equivalent is 'Cheers!'


	21. Late on Halloween

Okay, I updated faster than usual to make up for the lame chapter last time! Hope you like!

And I know I seam to be focusing on Harry, Kouichi and Kouji at lot, but that's just the best way to tell the story right now. Why? Because I need to plan out the story, and with the situation I've set up, the only way to move ahead is through those three. Don't worry, I'll try to fit the others in…

****

Midori: But she can't write Tomoki or Junpei to save her letter-lovin' life!

****

GS: Don't make get a sock, smart-aleck.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

****

Chapter 21: Late On Halloween

By the end of October, the transfers had been mostly settled in to their new location. Most of them fit in well enough, even Kouichi, adjusting slightly to fit in to their environments.

However, the end of the month brought an odd change to their surroundings that they had not been expecting.

"What the heck is this?!"

Takuya's shocked and confused expression was mirrored by Kouji, Tomoki and Izumi, all of whom were standing with him in the doorway to the Great Hall. They were staring, rather blankly, at the large pumpkins hanging in the air, candles glowing inside to create faces, and at the huge cloud of bats covering the magical ceiling, and the rest of the elaborate decorations scattering the gigantic room.

"Did we…miss something?" Izumi asked blankly, blinking.

"Beats me…" Tomoki glanced upwards. "But the ghosts sure seam happy. Maybe it's a holiday or something."

Hermione, over-hearing them, paused a moment. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Takuya asked.

"Know what?" Ron echoed. "It's Halloween! C'mon, you gotta know Halloween!"

"Hal-low-wig-en?" Tomoki pronounced. "What's that?"

Ron nearly fell over, but Izumi's face lit up. "Oh, I've heard about that!" she exclaimed, tapping her right fist into her left hand, then turning to Takuya. "It's a western holiday, a bit like Obon. I forgot that was today!"

"Obon?" Harry raised an eyebrow, motioning the group towards the Gryffindor table to get out of the way.

"It's a holiday of ours." Izumi perked up. "A festival, really, it lasts a whole week in August. It's the day spirits of the Dead are supposed to come back and spend time with the family."

"Yeah, it's fun." Tomoki's grin widened to its full extent as Izumi sat down at the Ravenclaw table, within ear shot of their conversation as the others took their place a Gryffindor. "You get off school for the week, there're all these games, and after dark it's a huge party."

"For a whole week?" Ron sounded impressed. Harry could imagine why, with all the fun that happened every year at Hogwarts, he could only imagine what a whole week of Halloween could be like.

"Yeah, but it's weird, too." Takuya laughed a little. "I mean, I don't see you guys carving animals in cucumbers and eggplants…Though the pumpkins are a nice touch."

Hermione giggled a little at the idea, while Ron looked a bit confused. There was the familiar noise of a small magic spell being put into place, and the food appeared on their plates.

Takuya turned eagerly to the food…then stopped. "What…is this?"

Kouji glanced at the rice in the barrel, looking a bit disgusted. "It's orange." he said bluntly. "And black. That's just creepy."

"It's just died, right?" Tomoki tried to reassure them, taking a scoop himself.

"Of course it is." Hermione smiled. "They just want to make it look festive. Orange and black are traditional colors at Halloween."

Tradition or not, Harry noticed that the transfers didn't eat as much rice as they usually did, and he thought he over-heard Kouji muttering something about ruining the presentation.

The actually meal itself was very short, as usual. It was the dessert everyone looked forward to one Halloween…large, decorative, molded chocolate bats, white-chocolate ghosts, huge Pumpkin Pastries and Cauldron Cakes, and every other kind of sweet you could possibly imagine. It was enough to stuff yourself full all night long and still take a doggie bag for later. Tie it in with some loud, exciting music that seamed to come from nowhere, and an exceptional show by the ghosts showing the story of Nearly Headless Nick's partial-decapitation, it was something to last at least to midnight, as usual.

Kouji was about half-way through a strawberry-flavored ice treat when he noticed his brother get up from the Slytherin table. Kouichi muttered something to Malfoy, brushing off Theodore Nott with a bit of a nod, then mumbled the familiar 'Gochisousama gozaimasu' phrase and headed for the door.

Kouji frowned and stood, following his brother with a worried expression. "Kouichi." he said gently, catching him by the shoulder just outside the door. "Are you all right?"

Kouichi looked at his brother and smiled, but Kouji couldn't help noticing how pale he was, and how his eyes couldn't have looked more tired if he'd propped them up with toothpicks.

"Fine…I'm fine, Kouji, really." he whispered. Kouji almost winced, even his voice was tired and raspy. "I'm just…sleepy, that's all…and not hungry…I'm just going to go back to the dorms and…lay down for a while…"

Kouji's face took on a familiar concerned-mother appearance as he put a hand on his brother's forehead. "No fever…" he muttered. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

"Kou-_jee_." the younger twin raised an eyebrow. Was he hearing things, or was Kouichi whining at him? "_Yes_, I'm feeling _fine_. I just need some _sleep_."

"All right, all right." Kouji released his brother's shoulder. "…I was just worried."

"I know…" Kouichi mumbled, starting away. He paused a moment and turned back with a slight smile. "Goodnight, Kouji."

"Yeah…'Night."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Late that evening, Kouichi woke to an inferno.

He found that, in his sleep, he had pushed the covers off himself, down to the bare sheets. After a moment, he kicked those off as well, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his pajama top. The stuffy air locked in by his heavy green curtains was almost unbearable, stifling him with ragged breaths.

Water…he needed water…

He bushed open the curtains, swinging his bare feet to brush against the cool, smooth stone. Trembling hands clutched the porcelain pitcher, pouring the cool, clear liquid into his glass and gulping it down.

Three glasses later, the room had halted its spinning but the temperature was no less. With a barely audible groan, he pulled himself out of the bed and stumbled up to the common room, desperately trying to find someplace cool.

Somehow, he found himself stumbling out the dormitory door, the blank wall closing wordlessly behind him. The dungeons were cool and moist, the walls lined with a relaxing chill. He sighed, leaning against the stone gratefully, moving along to keep the feeling fresh, stumbling up towards the surface level, where the cool breeze created a sort of air conditioning…

Halfway to the exit of the dungeons, a sudden pain racked his chest.

Kouichi grabbed the shirt over his heart, trying desperately not to retch against the pain as something horribly familiar about this registered in his mind.

"N-Not again…Not again…"

Hospital Wing. He needed to get to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, she was good, she'd get him what he needed…A double dose of the _Saisei_…A Cooling Crest for the fever…Hell, a sleeping drought would do, anything to get away from…

Sleeping…Drought…

_Professor Snape._

He'd never make it to the Hospital like this…But Professor Snape, his office was right on this level…He'd do something, just like he had that night after the rumors…He just had to…find the door.

His hand grasped a heavy, iron knob, as his fingers brushed against the rough wood of a door. This was it…This had to be it…Please let this be it…

"P-Professor…" he gasped, trying to push down the knob, but his shaking hands weren't agreeing with him. "Professor…Professor Snape…Professor, please…H-Help…"

He managed to push the door open, stumbling through it as a wave of crisp, cool air hit his face…

He found himself in the rear of the grounds, looking down a steep slope that ended at the Forbidden Forest. To the left he saw the lake, to the right, Hagrid's hut. Done the slope in front of him was a pumpkin patch, fenced in, with a rickety-looking scarecrow sitting at its base. The wind caressed his shaking form as the cool moonlight licked his face, blinking blankly up at the endless field of stars.

He took a hesitant, confused step forward, and his leg slipped out from under him.

He went down, rolling down the hill like a log, bouncing off the rocks and the lumps messily. His hands, on instinct, covered his head, mere inches before he crashed into the fence around the pumpkin patch and came to a stop.

He lay there in the cool, dewy grass, gasping up at the inky night sky.

The last thing Kouichi saw before the world was inked out were three bright, glowing moons, smiling down at him with a welcoming gaze…

**__**

TBC…

Midori: Well, that's certainly a good end to a chap, eh, author-lady? (notices that GS isn't there) Author-lady? (notices that she is standing on a hastily-written note)

****

Note: _Sorry folks, but I've got a…show to get to. Yeah, that's it. I'll just let Midori handle your messages until I get back, alrighty then? Ciao. -GS_

****

Midori: (looks up a crowd of reviewers, once again pissed at the story's be-mean-to-Kouichi-ness) AUTHOR-LADY, WAIT FOR ME!!!! (runs for her life)


	22. In Which Some Things Are Explained

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Author's Notes from the last chapter:

Obon is one of the few festivals I know in detail. The bit about the cumbers and eggplants comes that, during Obon week, families place small vegetable dolls and place them around the family alter. From the cumbers they make horses, to speed the dead person's journey home, and from the eggplant they make cows, so the dead will take their time with their visit. They also light lanterns to guide the dead home; the other half of the reason Takuya was amused by the jack-o-lanterns.

Also, no matter what day of the year it is, presentation is 90 of the Japanese meal. I've heard that if you pour soy sauce on rice, you're considered to be very rude. From this I assume that coloring the rice orange and black would make any Japanese person loose their appetite rather quickly.

__

Gochisousama gozaimasu - 'Thanks for the feast' with the polite addition of _gozaimasu_. It's the proper thing to say when getting up from the table.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

****

Chapter 22: In Which Certain Things Are Explained

Wednesday morning. Potions

The Gryffindor/Slytherin class was working on a potion called the Crystal Gaze, which was of use to treasure-hunters such as Bill Weasley, as when it was applied to the eyelids, turned the user's eyes a pale blue and allowed them to see through solid objects for a short time. It was also immensely tricky to make.

Kouji's concentration was gradually floating away from the potion, but it had nothing to do with the belladonna they were using. There was an empty cauldron amongst the Slytherins…one that should have been occupied by his brother.

Kouichi hadn't been at breakfast this morning, or in the library or anywhere else for that matter. Kouji tried to calm himself by considering the possibilities. Maybe he'd overslept, he had been tired last night, he could've just slept in and any moment now…

The dungeon doors suddenly swung open and Professor McGonagall entered in. She strode to the front of the room and conversed a moment with Snape, a serious look on her face.

The Potions master looked up. "Minamoto!"

Kouji glanced upwards in acknowledgement. McGonagall motioned for him to follow as she walked past. "Come with me."

The black-haired transfer raised an eyebrow, but did as she said. The woman's eyes seamed vaguely concerned and rather troubled as she led him up to the fourth floor…the Hospital Wing. She pushed open the glass door. "Inside, Minamoto."

Kouji held back a biting comment and entered.

At the end of a long row of beds was one that was getting an awful lot of attention. No fewer than six people were crowded around it, including Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid.

"I jus' found 'em lyin' dere, Pro'fesser Dumbledore, sir. Right out by deh pumpkin patch." the groundskeeper was saying as he entered. "'E's lucky Fang sniffed 'em out, or 'e'd be lyin' dere still…"

Kouji finally got a good glimpse at the bed's occupant, and his eyes widened. "Kouichi!"

The surrounding adults were suddenly quiet as he pushed his way through to his brother's side. Kouichi looked peaceful enough, in his light blue pajamas, snuggled back into the soft pillow and tucked warmly between white hospital sheets. He hadn't even twitched in response to Kouji's cry.

Kouji stared at him, heart racing, and reached out to squeeze the unresponsive hand. "K-Kouichi…" he whispered. "Nii-san…Can you hear me, Nii-san?"

"He won't wake, I'm afraid." Dumbledore whispered sagely. Kouji turned slightly to look up at the Headmaster as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "We can only assume that he has been like this for several hours yet, and although we have tried every aspect of Madam Pomfrey's wide range of remedies, he has not responded."

Kouji continued to stare blankly at his unmoving brother. "There was no spell damage, nor any other wounds that couldn't have been caused by a rather nasty fall." Professor Dumbledore squeezed his shoulder gently. "We were hoping…perhaps you could inform us of what might have caused this."

The long-haired transfer hesitated a moment, then heard his voice say, "He…He has a condition…Futan Kakesugiru…"

Madam Pomfrey gasped. "_Opprimo_…" she breathed, then hurried back to her medicine cabinet. "Oh, it's been so long since this appeared I didn't recognize it…This could be worse than I thought, Professor Dumbledore, he could be here a long time."

"Understandable, Madam Pomfrey." Dumbledore said, then looked down at Kouji, still holding his brother's hand. He smiled just a little, pulling over a chair for the younger twin. "You should be able to stay until lunch. However, after that your visits will have to wait until dinner is over. Understand?"

Kouji glared, a bit annoyed, but nodded.

"I'm certain he will be fine, Mr. Minamoto." the headmaster told him quietly. "He's in excellent hands…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouichi opened his eyes slowly, then closed them again against the pounding in his head. He rolled over, trying to get comfortable in what should have been a now-familiar bed…but found himself lying on something cold, smooth and hard.

He opened his eyes without moving anything else. He was laying on a smooth, flat surface, a deep ruby red with a slight glare to it. It was dark, but not too dark, a period between night and day. He must have been in a room somewhere, because a wall rose up in front of him, the same as the floor. However, a welcomingly cold breeze blew over his body.

He sat up, looking out where the wind had come from. He found himself gazing over the sparse trees and barren land that lived in a pleasant, if perpetual twilight. Against the dark sky he could see a large, burning red star, spreading over the line of sight and almost covering the three multi-colored moons. There was only one place he'd ever been that looked anything like this.

"…Rose Morning Star?" he whispered to himself, his voice echoing slightly in the wind.

There were footsteps behind him, followed by a familiar voice. "Well. Glad to see you're awake."

Kouichi spun around. Standing there in the 'doorway' of sorts, leading down into the castle, was a tall, noble figure. The armor covering his body was black, lined with gold, with the head of a lion. He carried a staff in one hand, and brown eyes smiled down at him warmly.

"L-Lowemon?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Kouji wandered into the Great Hall at lunchtime, he was met by the curious Takuya and Tomoki at the Gryffindor table. Though both started in on the questions as soon as he entered, he seamed not to hear them and sat down, putting his head in his hands and leaning on the table with an annoyed sigh.

Harry, Hermione and Ron glanced at each other. Kouji was always a bit quiet, but this didn't feel like his usual, 'Leave-Me-Alone-I-Have-Enough-Friends' attitude.

"Um…Kouji?" Hermione said slowly. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, buddy, what's eating you?" Takuya asked, pausing in his meal to lean across the table. "You look more bummed than usual."

Kouji gave them both an annoyed glare before mumbling, "Kouichi's in the hospital." in one breath.

Ron and Tomoki nearly gagged, while Takuya jumped a foot and Hermione's brow furled worriedly. Harry hesitated a moment, then leaned over to the black-haired transfer. "What happened?"

Kouji sighed again. "…He passed out."

"Again?!" Tomoki exclaimed. "Kouji, is he okay?"

"Can't tell. Hasn't woken up yet…"

"Whattya mean, 'again'?" Ron asked, confused. "This kind of thing happen a lot?"

Takuya and Tomoki glanced at each other uncertainly. Tomoki shifted nervously in his seat. "Well…Kouichi-kun has a…condition."

"Condition?"

"Well…um, we call it _Futan Kakesugiru_, but…"

"The nurse called it Opprimo." Kouji muttered bluntly.

Hermione gasped. "Opprimo?!" she exclaimed. "Oh, goodness, is he all right? He couldn't take the magic around Hogwarts, could he? It wasn't anything serious, was it?"

Harry tugged at the sleeve of her robe. "Care to explain what that is?"

"Opprimo…" Hermione turned back to him and Ron as Kouji pulled some food over to his plate with a huff. "It's a medical condition, but it's rather rare, only one person out of 5,000 has it, and even then very few of them turn out to be wizards at all."

"'Mione." Ron interrupted before she got too far. "What. _Is_. It?"

"It's a problem with your control of magic." Hermione rattled off, a bit annoyed but still concerned. "Remember what Tonks said in class, that magic flows through the human body naturally? Well, there are some people who are more sensitive to it than others, so that they can feel it from outside sources and can absorb it a little. Sometimes these people have a lot more control over it…Merlin, for instance, was supposed to be able to do it better than anyone else in the past millennium…But most of the time they can't control how much they take in at once. Too much magical energy outside their usual standard and they…well, the only way to put it is 'overload'. They pass out, sometimes there's a bit of amnesia. They just can't take the extra energy. This kind of condition is usually called _Opprimo_."

"Ouch." Harry winced. The situation of passing out from too much magic sounded painful.

"It's worse than that, too." Hermione continued, now looking very disturbed. "There are potions to take to lessen the process and stem off the effects…I bet Kimura was taking some when he first got here, no wonder he was so tired on the train…but if there's too much of an overload, it could turn a lot more serious than just passing out…"

"As in how serious?" Ron asked, eyes wide.

"As in brain damage, permanent memory loss, involuntary spasms…if it gets too bad, it can be deadly!"

Kouji glared at her, obviously annoyed, so Hermione shut up after that. The longhaired transfer spent the rest of lunch in total silence, contemplating his brother's current situation and what he could do to help. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Um…Lowemon?"

"Yes?" the lion-like Digimon glanced down at the boy walking beside him. He was showing the human through the castle of the Rose Morning Star, with promises to explain everything eventually.

Kouichi looked up at him with a slightly puzzled, slightly worried expression. "I'm not…I'm not dead, am I?"

Lowemon smiled beneath his mask. "No, you're not dead." he reassured him warmly. "To the outside observer, your body is simply sleeping, but is unable to wake up…"

"A coma." Kouichi muttered. It was a bit odd, having a face-to-face conversation with someone who was technically your alter ego. He was quiet a moment longer, trying to sort out his thoughts even though he was bursting with questions. "But Lowemon… _how_ did I get here? Why I am I here in the first place, and…and what was with that Biyomon at the school…?"

"Patience, patience." the lion-like Digimon laughed, patting him on the head as though he was a small child. "Just a little bit more and we'll explain everything."

Kouichi raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'we'?" he asked as they entered a new room.

There was a small laugh from above him, low, majestic and somewhat familiar. "We…" said the same voice with a chuckle. "…will be happy to explain everything."

The boy jumped a bit, just a little surprised as he was faced by three semi-familiar angelic Digimon. Two were humanoid, with large, white wings, while the third looked like a rabbit, but they weren't exactly the figures he might have been expecting…The man was covered in purple armor, his long, golden hair extending from it. The woman was wrapped in white, except for the thick pink ribbon wrapped around her shoulders. The animal looked vaguely like a rabbit, brown with long ears, ringed with dark pink.

The male human smiled at his expression. "Yes, it has been a while has it?" his stately voice still held a bit of a chuckle. "It is good to see you again, my friend."

Kouichi stuttered a little, putting two and two together. "Patamon…Is that you?"

The man…MagnaAngemon…nodded. Angewomon smiled as well. "It does seam rather amazing, doesn't it?" she sighed. "Times of need bring forward great necessity…"

Kouichi didn't even try to interrupt what she was saying. He vaguely got the idea that she wasn't quite sure either, and wondered if her circuits had gotten crossed during Digivolution. Antylamon…Cherubimon's Ultimate form, he guessed…sighed where he sat and shook his head with a small smile.

"Don't forget us!" a little voice piped. He looked down and smiled at who was running to him.

"Naemon! Bokomon!" he knelt down to greet the old friends as they hurried forward to greet him.

"It's so good to see you, dear boy." Bokomon sighed, putting his little arms around his neck. "We were so very worried about you after that last fight…we thought you wouldn't make it."

Kouichi smiled just a little. "Well, I'm fine now…" As fine as anyone could be, with his soul separated from his body in a strange world he'd only been in once before…

"Now then." MagnaAngemon smiled at the human warmly as he straightened. "I believe…you have some questions to ask."

**__**

TBC…

GS: (slipping in quietly, carrying a battered Midori) I'm sorry, Midori-chan…

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Midori: You…Owe…Me…

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GS: Ahem…Um…Sorry for stopping there, folks. The story will flow better with a pause there, and there's not much happening in the Real World for a little while. The next chapter's mostly explanations, but trust me, it is worth it.

P.S. - The Chaotic Ones, please don't torture my muse. She's hard enough to live with as it is.


	23. Where Everything Else Is Addressed

Kouichi-centric explanation chapter. Don't worry, the next one's from Harry's P.O.V., for those of you who wish I'd do more of the wizarding-side to the story. And I have a new fantasy/medieval story up, staring Kouji and Kouichi. It's called _Lost In The Dusk _if anyone's interested, so please check it out.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

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Chapter 23: Where Everything Else Is Addressed

Lowemon lead Kouichi over to a nicely-cushioned, tall chair against the back wall of the large room, motioning him to take a seat. The boy hesitated a moment, then settled in and looked around at the familiar and semi-familiar creatures.

MagnaAngemon, Angewomon, and Antylamon sat across from him, in much larger chairs to compensate for much larger bodies. Bokomon and Naemon were standing, the yellow one perfectly still and his friend bustling about nervously. Lowemon seamed content to take a place on the floor beside Kouichi's chair.

Kouichi shifted slightly, trying to sort things out in his thoughts. He'd just figured out the first question to ask before Antylamon spoke. "Before we begin to answer your questions…There's something I feel I must ask you, Kouichi."

The human blinked. "Ask me?" the animal-angel nodded. Kouichi shrugged. "Okay."

Antylamon sighed. "Did you…" he paused a moment, then changed his mind on how to word it. "Were you…in any way…injured because of your time here?"

"Injured…?" The boy blinked again. "No…I couldn't have been, I wasn't really here."

Angewomon sighed. "What he means is…" she leaned back just a little. "Did the act of your soul being pulled into the Digital World, separate from your body, cause any sort of…damage, to your physical or mental health?"

It took a moment for Kouichi to process that, then he shook his head. "No…Not that _directly_…"

MagnaAngemon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Kouichi shifted a bit, not sure how to explain it, and tapped his forehead, just above his right eye. "I…I hit my head, right about here…When I fell, right when I got pulled in… the…the Healers said it hit just the right place to mess with my magical perception, so I…faint…sometimes…"

Antylamon's ears drooped a bit in what could have been called guilt. "Opprimo." he whispered sadly.

Kouichi raised an eyebrow, glancing between MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, both of who looked a bit grim as well. "The proper name in Japanese is 'Futan Kakesugiru'." the male angel said slowly.

"You know it?" Kouichi asked.

"Naturally…" Angewomon nodded. "It was the only way we could bring you here in the first place."

Kouichi's eyebrows nearly leapt up to his hairline. The female angel smiled just a bit, then began her explanation. "You see…The forced separation between mind and body forged a sort of…permanent connection to the Digital World. Basically, you left a bit of your spirit here, and it kept contact with your conscious body in the Real World. This allowed us to make connections with the Real World, through you…"

"We asked Lowemon to send the messages…" Bokomon piped up. "Because he's the one you'd be most likely to recognize in a dream-like state."

"However, this does come at a cost…" MagnaAngemon sighed. "The connection left you extra-sensitive to outside forces of magic, wither it be from the Real World or from the Digital…How many times, exactly, have you passed out since your return?"

"Um…" Kouichi thought back a moment. "…Three. Not counting last night."

MagnaAngemon nodded. "At least two of those attacks…several years apart, mind you…came from the Digital World attempting to 'upgrade' itself, and doing so, taxing a bit of your magical energy and limiting the amount you could contain yourself. The third, I assume, was the Opprimo at its worst…"

"Wait a second!" Kouichi sliced his hands back and forth in a 'time out' gesture. "What are you talking about 'upgrade'? I mean, what for? And how do you guys even _know _about magic in the first place? The Digital World is…is _digital_! Digital and magic don't mix!"

Lowemon chuckled a little at the usually quiet boy's sudden outburst. Angewomon smiled as well. "To answer that…" she said slowly, controlling her laughter. "We'll have to go back to the beginning, won't we?"

Kouichi didn't know how to respond to that. "Um…Beginning?"

"Yes…" Angewomon leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, and for a moment he got a glimpse of Ophanimon, somewhere deep inside her. "You see, the Digital World has never been completely made of technology…if it were, it would be impossible to bring humans into it. Magic has been a part of the Digital World since the very beginning…"

Antylamon cleared his throat. "About twenty years ago, during the height of…of…"

Lowemon glanced up at Kouichi. "Just use his proper name." he sighed, slightly annoyed. "It'll save time, and the boy's not scared of a name, are you?"

Kouichi blinked, but shook his head.

Antylamon made an exasperated noise. "All right then…Twenty years ago, at the height of _Voldemort's_…" he paused a moment, just to make sure he wasn't scaring anyone, then continued. "…At the height of his time of power, there were some wizards who thought a combination of magic and muggle technology could be the answer to stopping him…namely, an amalgamation with the newly-created internet. The result of this venture was the creation of the first Digimon."

Kouichi had a look of shock on his face. Angewomon nodded with a slight smile and continued where the animal-like Digimon had left off. "The team that created this program was stretched out over three continents, but the core was located in Tokyo, where the technology was at its strongest. After Motarasu Konton no Makasu…"

"Harry."

Angewomon raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"His name's Harry. Harry Potter." Kouichi grinned just a little. "We've met him at school."

The female angel smiled just a bit more. "All right then. After Mr. Potter banished the Dark Being to the very edge of life, the project was disbanded. However, it was impossible to remove the magic from within the programming. Rather, it was left to grow and evolve on its own, eventually becoming the Digital World you know today. With the occasional upgrade to keep up with the constantly-changing technology of the Real World, we've managed to survive quite nicely."

"So…" Kouichi was trying to work it out more in his head. "When…When Lucemon…"

"Yes, that was a bit of a problem." MagnaAngemon sighed. "With every program, there are viruses that are bound to pop up. Initially, we had a sort of 'Firewall' program protecting the system…The Ten Warriors. However, after Lucemon's initial containment, the warrior's energy had to be re-distributed to recover the 'main program' of sorts. We were planning to build them back up eventually, but Lucemon was faster. After all, it takes more time to reload ten separate programs than one major one."

"When Lucemon recreated his own programming…" Angewomon nodded. "We were able to create minor levels of the original Warrior programs, in the form of the Spirits. However, we needed extra magical power to 'execute' these programs, so we found the most potential source we could…Untrained wizarding powers."

"Why 'untrained'?" Kouichi asked, blinking.

"Easier adjustment." MagnaAngemon smiled. "Younger children who have the potential for magic, but haven't been trained, are much more likely to simply adapt to unusual situations. As such, we limited the search to children age eleven and younger…"

"…Wizarding training in Japan starts at twelve." Kouichi nodded.

"Precisely." MagnaAngemon continued. "Of those that we found, there were several with the potential for magic. But only five…six, once you yourself were brought in…had the amount needed to control and bond with the Spirits."

Kouichi mulled this over a bit. It explained something he'd been wondering for a while now…The odd coincidence that their seemingly random group of four muggle-borns, two half-bloods and a wizard-born had not only met in the Digital World, but were all wizards sent to the same training location.

"Once the 'virus' was deleted, the Digital World took just a bit of magical energy from each of you to finish the recreation of the Legendary Warriors in their original state." Angewomon nodded to Lowemon with a kind smile. "Once you returned home, thing in the Digital World became normal as well…"

"…However." Kouichi looked up, noticing that the Digimon had all become strangely quiet. "There is a new problem to be addressed…"

The atmosphere in the room became uncomfortable. There was several minutes of silence before Kouichi spoke. "What kind of problem?"

"…Until recently, it was assumed that only ten humans…yourself, the others, and the four children who remained behind…knew exactly what the Digital World was." Antylamon sighed. "Unfortunately, we were wrong."

"One of the scientists who worked on the initial project must have speculated that the program had continued on its own." Angewomon muttered. "His investigations, however, somehow lead to Voldemort discovering the Digital World. Several weeks ago, he has tried everything he can to find a way in to the Digital World."

Kouichi's eyes widened. "He's not…He's not _here_, is he?"

"Not yet." MagnaAngemon shook his head. "But he has been close…very close. He's managed, more than a few times, to partially bring a Digimon into the Real World…"

"That Biyomon during the Quidditch match."

"Exactly." MagnaAngemon nodded. "We've been able to stop him from bringing a Digimon fully into the Real World, but we can't cut off his connection into this one…It's something he's hacked into from the Real World, we'd have to break it apart from there."

"Which is where…" Angewomon smiled at the boy. "You, and the other humans come in."

"Us?" Kouichi blinked. "What can we do? None of us have our phones…they turn into the D-Tectors…and even if we did, electronics don't work anywhere around Hogwarts, and we can't just leave the school."

"No…" Angewomon nodded. "But the D-Tector is no ordinary electronic device. By its creation, the circuitry is infused with magic. It can easily function anywhere in the wizarding world, including places like Hogwarts. And there is a way to create them in the Real World without the cell phones as a base…However…"

"However what?" Kouichi shifted nervously. He didn't like the look on her face.

"However…" Angewomon sighed. "It will be a slow process…And it will probably tax your own energy immensely."

"Mine?"

"Yes. The connection created by your accident is the only link we have that isn't through a computer." MagnaAngemon looked very contemplative. "Without any electronics, we'll have to use it to our advantage.."

"But it will only be possible…" Antylamon leaned forward. "If you will agree to it, Kouichi."

All eyes were on the human. The animal angel continued with a very serious look in his eyes. "It's dangerous. We've never tried anything like it before, and you will be the one at the most risk. There is a chance that your body may not be able to take the strain…"

"But the question is…" MagnaAngemon whispered. "Will you risk it?"

For a moment there was silence as all eyes stayed pinned on Kouichi. The boy glanced at them, then took a deep breath. "All right then. Tell me what to do."

**__**

TBC…


	24. Family Matters

Okay…This chapter isn't exactly Potter-centric, but it is from Harry's P.O.V. as some explanations are given…

As a warning note: I don't like Kousei (the twin's father) very much. You don't get to see a lot of him in the show, but he always struck me as a rather poor father figure. For the sake of this story, he is portrayed as a hateful character. However, I do think that Satome (Kouji's stepmother) and Tomoko (their mother) are sweet women, so don't feel like I'm completely abusing them…(Yes, those are the standard names for them. I looked it up on a very reliable and much-trusted Digimon website, Digimon Spirit)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

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Chapter 24: Family Matters

Madam Pomfrey seamed irritable, but that was only to be understood.

After all, news that the 'Dark Wizard' Slytherin Transfer was lying unconscious and apparently unharmed in the Hospital Wing had spread around the school like wildfire. People were coming up with all sorts of excuses to gather and gawk, everything from stomach aches to actually cursing themselves. It eventually got so bad that, for the sake of privacy and her own sanity, the nurse had Professor Flitwick put up a shielding spell that repelled everyone who was not either truly in need of assistance themselves, or had the good intent to visit the patient with no ulterior motive.

Harry genuinely had no ulterior motive for being there Saturday evening…He'd developed a serious headache over the course of the day, coupled with a nasty slip off the broom during Quidditch practice and sprinkled liberally with rather annoying, semi-blocked and little-remembered dreams. As a result, he had entered the Hospital Wing with the sole purpose of receiving several very nice and very relaxing charms so that he could actually sleep that evening and not bother his dormmates with persistent restlessness.

Now feeling light-headed and rather pleasant, he was just leaving when he heard something very odd float up through the silence:

"Ni-san. Kyo-wa desho kimi no mezameru desu ka? San-hi no shita koto ga aru…"

In true curiosity-killed-the-cat fashion, Harry pushed back the curtain around the only occupied bed just enough that he could see it. Kouichi was there, still in the bed, having gone three days without so much as a fluttered eyelid. His cat, Yugure, was curled up at the foot of his bed…how she got in there, Harry wasn't sure, but she was there…purring worriedly.

Sitting beside the bed, with his back to Harry, was Kouji. His hands were folded in his lap, while his eyes were focused on his brother with an almost painfully depressed gaze. Two translations charms lay on the desk, next to a wooden bowl that looked like a Pensive, which was why the gentle whispers of reassurance coming from his lips were in Japanese.

Harry was a bit surprised. Kouji was usually so much the serious, stoic type, to see him looking almost vulnerable was a bit disarming. Before he'd quite understood what he was doing, Harry had stepped into the self-contained, curtained area and put his hand on the long-haired boy's shoulder.

Kouji jumped, spinning around and raising one hand as though he was about to punch him on reflex. He stopped when he realized who it was and lowered his arm with a sigh. "_Potaa…_"

Harry's name was slurred, partially by annoyance and partially by the heavy accent that wasn't there when translated. Kouji reached over to the bedside, snatched up his translation charm, and reinserted it. There was a small beep and a humming sound as the light turned on.

"Don't sneak up on people like that, you're liable to get yourself shot." were the first English words out of his mouth.

Harry grinned a bit. That was more like the Kouji he knew. "Sorry."

Yugure sat up, stretched, and wandered across the bed to Harry, butting at his hand in mild greeting. Kouji sighed, brushing back his dark hair anxiously. "What're you doing here anyway, Potter?"

"Headache. Sprained wrist." Harry shrugged. "Fell off my broom during practice. Usual stuff."

Kouji smirked a bit, then turned his eyes back to Kouichi with a worried air. For a moment Harry was quiet, but there had been something nagging at him for a while now…

"Can I ask you something?"

Kouji glanced at him and shrugged. "Shoot."

"Why do the two of you have different last names?" When the transfer raised his eyebrow, Harry motioned to the boy in the bed. "You and him. I mean, I know you're twins and all…So why is his name Kimura and yours…?"

"Our parents divorced." Kouji cut him off. "When we were little…real little. Three or four, something like that. Neither of us even remember it. I mean, I didn't even know I had a brother…"

"Didn't know?" Harry echoed, before he could stop himself. "How could you not? I mean…Did you ever see your mother?"

Kouji's navy blue eyes leveled at him almost dangerously, and there was venom lacing his tongue in the next few lines. "Dad's a Muggle. Mom's a witch. He didn't know when they got married. She managed to hide it for about five years."

A chill ran up Harry's spine at those words, a bit like the effect Muggle soap operas seamed to have on Aunt Petunia. "And…When he found out?"

"…Divorce." Kouji muttered. "Almost immediately. He hates magic, anything or anyone to do with it. The court made them split us up…I went with Dad, Kouichi with Mom. But that wasn't good enough for Dad. He's the one who insisted we never see each other again."

"…So how did you?" Harry knew he was prying, and he really wished Kouji would stop him if he was being rude, but there was a part of him that just wanted to…

"It was…kinda like fate." Kouji shrugged. "I met him the same day I met Takuya and the others, and it all came out…"

He glanced over at the bowl of smoking, shining white liquid, as though he was thinking about something. Harry didn't speak, but he continued anyway. "I met mom for the first time…and I couldn't believe it. I didn't know…that is, I didn't find out…that she was a witch until a lot later. When she warned Kouichi not to go see Dad, I thought it was just ashes from the divorce…I took him home anyway…"

He sighed heavily, reaching over to pull the wooden bowl into his lap. "Probably the single stupidest thing I have ever done."

Harry frowned and tried to picture it…A man who hated magic, meeting for the first time in years with his son who had been living with a witch. He couldn't picture it ending _too_ badly…Wizard or not, it was still his son…

"What is that?" he asked, indicating the bowl.

"It's a Pensive." Kouji said simply, not noticing Harry's surprised reaction. "There are dreams…memories…that go through his head when he's unconscious like this. If they show signs of bothering him, like a nightmare, they stem it off and put it in one of these, so his body can focus on healing…itself…"

He was quiet for so long that Harry wondered if he'd forgotten there was someone else beside him. He gave the liquid a slight prod with his wand, poking through the memories with a melancholy sigh. After a moment he leaned back, apparently finding what he had been looking for. Harry looked over his shoulder and into the wooden bowl, not sure if he wanted to know what he found…

It wasn't like the other times he had experienced a recollection within a Pensive, back when he had been thrown into the very center of the memory. Rather, it was a bit like watching it through a window, as both he and Kouji remained outside of the bowl.

The small view was first that out of a window…a large city, which Harry naturally assumed must be Tokyo, as viewed from a suburb somewhere near the outskirts. There was a house, which was where he was looking out the window. Next the view turned inside the house, in the entry hall, as two identical boys entered.

"Kouji…Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kouichi asked, bending down to untie his shoes.

"It'll be fine, trust me." the younger twin grinned, toeing off his own shoes and replacing them with slippers. "Mom's just a bit paranoid…single moms do that sometimes."

Kouichi didn't seam eased. "But…Maybe we should've told your folks you were bringing company…"

"Would you relax?" Kouji sighed. "Everything will be just fine. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Uh, no thanks…" Kouichi mumbled, then followed his brother into the kitchen.

They weren't there for long before the front door opened again, this time with a woman's voice taking the head. "I'll take these things upstairs, okay, dear?"

"Whatever you want, honey." a man's voice came after her. Harry could only assume that the man was the twin's father, but the woman he wasn't so sure about.

Kouji glanced over at his brother. "You ready?"

Kouichi nodded, a bit hesitantly. Kouji grinned at him reassuringly, then went to stick his head out the door to the entry hall. "Dad?"

"Oh…Kouji, you're home."

"Yeah…Can you come here a second? There's someone I want you to meet…"

The man chuckled. "Well this is strange. A friend?"

"Sort've…" Kouji winked at Kouichi, who smiled shakily as his brother lead their father into the room

Their father was middle-aged, but not too far into it, with the same dark eyes that the twins had. His hair was black, but he was balding slightly, so it wasn't so obvious. He wore glasses and pushed them up the brim of his nose as Kouji lead him in.

For a moment his stern, well-worn face had a bit of a smile on it, but the moment he caught sight of Kouichi he froze. The color ran out of his face like sand off a shovel in the sandbox. His pupils dilated slightly and his jaw clenched in an expression that you couldn't tell if it was shock or pure disgust.

Kouichi gulped, then took a hesitant step forward. "D-D-Dad?" he stumbled out, lifting his hands as though to grasp his father's. "You…You are my dad…right?"

The man didn't say a thing, just stared at him, rigid. Kouji frowned, nudging him forward. "We know everything, dad. About mom and everything. It really is him…It's Kouichi…"

For a moment their father remained white as a ghost. Kouichi hesitantly reached forward and touched his hand, very lightly, just brushing his fingers against the his knuckles.

The man's already-rigid stance became sharper and he narrowed his dark blue eyes at the boy fiercely. "Get. Out."

Kouichi snapped his hand back, turning his eyes up to gaze at his father with sudden fear. Kouji's eyes widened. "Dad…"

"Get. Out." the man's voice grew more and more fierce. "Get out, get out! Get out of my house now, you…you…"

"Dad!" Kouji exclaimed, but he couldn't reach out in time to stop what happened next. His father, turning purple with rage, suddenly lifted one hand and brought it down across the elder twin's cheek with a sickening _SLAP!!_

Kouichi stumbled back, running into the island bar in the middle of the room, one hand raised to touch his burning left cheek. The father stood gasping for breath, his hands clutched beside him, as a china plate that had been sitting on the counter suddenly flew across the room on its own and crashed into the wall near his head. Harry recognized it as involuntary magic at its best.

The man took several deep breaths before he gasped out the final words. "Get. _OUT_."

Kouichi didn't need to be told again. With a stuttered gasp and tears welling up in his eyes, he bolted past his brother and made a hell-bent-for-leather run out the front door.

The memory cut off there with a gentle shake from Kouji. He set the bowl on the bedside table with a sigh. Harry waited a few moments before he spoke again.

"That's…That's awful." the look on Kouji's face told him that yes, he'd forgotten he was here. "I can't believe…How could he do that?"

"He's a money-grubbing, tight-fisted lump of a muggle." Kouji hissed in a very threatening tone. "I didn't talk to him for months after that…I couldn't understand why either…until we got the messages for training…"

Harry nodded sympathetically. "So you keep your magic a secret from your father?"

"What else can I do?" Kouji muttered. "I can't just move out…I mean, I do care about dad, and Satome…my stepmother…And unless mom gets a better job there's no way I could move in with them…"

"Kouji…"

The transfer cut off, blinking at Harry in surprise. "Did you say something?"

Harry shook his head.

"Otouto-san…" Kouji's head snapped to the bed. Kouichi's eyes were open sleepily, and he was smiling up at his brother. "O…Ohayoo-gozaimasu, Otouto-san."

Harry looked over the younger twin's shoulder as Yugure bounded up to rub against her owner. "Um…What did he say?"

"'Good Morning'." Kouji translated shakily, as though he was trying not to smile, then touched the button on his charm to turn it off before speaking again. "Ee, Nii-san. Konbon-wa."

"Ah. Arigato." Kouichi turned his head slightly and looked at Harry with a small smile. "Potaa-san. Konbon-wa."

"Uh…Hi." Harry waved shakily, smiling a little. "I'm glad you're awake…"

Kouichi turned his head quizzically, which was when Harry remembered that he couldn't understand him. He tapped Kouji on the shoulder and motioned towards the back of the room.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey." he said slowly. Kouji nodded slightly, as though he understood, but seamed completely focused on his brother.

Harry wandered back to the rear of the room, but before he knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office he looked back. Kouji had apparently helped his brother to sit up and was currently…well, as strange as it sounded referring to Kouji, he was hugging him. Kouichi had his arms sleepily around his brother's waist, and the younger of the two was stroking his hair, whispering something to him in soothing Japanese.

Harry smiled and decided to give them a little time.

**__**

TBC…

"Ni-san. Kyo-wa desho kimi no mezameru…" - Er, okay…we haven't gone over all of this in Japanese 1 yet, so I really don't think I got it all right. (DON'T BERATE ME ABOUT IT, JAPANESE 1 MEANS THE _FIRST YEAR _OF JAPANESE!) What it's supposed to say is "Big Brother. Will you wake up today? Three days have gone past…"

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"O…Ohayoo-gozaimasu, Otouto-san." - Good morning, Little Brother.

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"Ee, Nii-san. Konbon-wa." - No, Nii-san. Good evening.

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"Ah. Arigato." - Thank you

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"Potaa-san. Konbon-wa." - This should be obvious: "Potter-san. Good evening."

Oh, and about the Pensive thing…It was the only bit I could think of to work in a good flashback. After all, that's what the Pensive is for, isn't it? At least for Mrs. Rowling…


	25. Visitation Explinations

Guys…I've got a bit of a problem…It's called…WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!! (cries)

This is the last chapter I could plan out with my initial burst of inspiration. I have other scenes in mind, lots of them, but I don't know how to string them together yet…BUT DON'T WORRY!! I will finish this story!! It is at the TOP of my priority list! I may update slower (once a month instead of once a week) and need more help from you guys, but I WILL finish this! So please don't stop reviewing, please? (big puppy dog eyes)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

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Chapter 25: Visitation Explanations

After a quick examination from an astonished Madam Pomfrey, Kouichi was scheduled to be released from the hospital wing Sunday afternoon, with an overnight stay to make sure he was fully recovered. Kouji remained by his brother's bedside for several hours afterwards, only leaving when the nurse chased him out sometime around midnight.

Harry returned to the dorms alone, taking the longest way possible to give him a little time to think of what he'd seen in the Pensive.

He still couldn't believe that their father…that anyone…could be that awful to their own son. But then again, the Dursleys were almost as bad…they'd never actually hit him, but being locked in a closet for days on end had the same effect…But he wasn't Dudley, thank god, he was their nephew, it wasn't the same as striking your son…

He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize he'd walked right past the portrait of the Fat Lady until she called to him, "Well, are you coming in or not?"

Harry started slightly, then sheepishly gave the password and entered Common Room.

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( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Draco didn't know what he was doing.

It was bright and early on a perfectly nice Sunday morning. He could be doing anything…Practicing his flying to beat the Gryffin-dorks in their next match, or trying out that new jinx with a Longbottom guinea pig.

So why in all the bloody hells was he standing outside the door to the hospital wing, holding a (small) box of Chocolate Frogs and a stack of homework assignments, about to 'visit' someone for the first time in his Hogwarts career?

He didn't even know why he cared that Kimura was awake. It was too late for any of their scheduled weekend tutoring sessions, not like he got anything out of coming up here before seeing him this afternoon, and he'd barely known the foreigner for more than a few weeks anyway…

But the fact remained that he felt rather compelled to 'visit' one of his associates, and it rather confused him.

He let out a low hiss between his teeth and pushed the door open.

Kimura, the only person there, was sitting up in the white-clothed bed, reading something that looked like a very thick, black-and-white, _backwards_ comic book, written in Japanese. He looked up when Draco entered and gave him a shy smile.

That always confused Draco: How could anyone smile like that so much? Especially when they spoke as little as Kimura did. He'd done it since the first day, when he'd climbed into the carriage, and then again during class…well, practically everyday. Draco thought it was a bit pointless, especially if he was trying to hide his real emotions.

But he was giving him that smile again as he set down his book. "Malfoy-kun." he said gently, the translation charm already in placed in his ear as he nodded his head in a slight bow. "It's good to see you."

Draco gave an indifferent shrug and handed over the box wordlessly, dropping the homework on a chair. Kimura seamed to understand, waiting until the blonde sat down beside the bed to open it, very carefully. He even folded the paper and set it on his bedside table, and it wasn't even very nice.

He laughed a little when he saw the chocolate frogs, ten of them, in their separate little containers, and smiled at Draco again. "Thank you, very much." he said with another slight bow.

His black cat wandered over to Draco, yawning as though she'd just woken up. She butted against Kouichi's hand, getting him to pet her, then blinked up at Draco with mild curiosity. Then she slipped under his crossed arms and positioned herself, quite calmly, in Draco's lap.

Draco felt a wave of indignation sweep over him. "Get off, carpet bag." he muttered at the cat, trying to pushed her off, but she dug her claws into his pants legs and refused to let go.

"Yugure…" Kimura chastised slowly, but the cat looked up at him with a sort of determined glare. The transfer sighed. "I'm sorry, Malfoy-kun. She's very…demanding… when she wants to be."

Draco scowled. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Kimura seamed confused. "What?"

"That…koo-un thing." Draco's scowl intensified. "If that's some kind of Japanese pun on my name…"

"It's nothing like that." Kimura looked down, messing nervously with the wrapper of a chocolate frog. "It's just a…an ending.…something you call your…friends…"

He left off, leaving Draco stewing in confusion.

Something you called your 'friend'? That was ridiculous. Malfoys did not have 'friends', Malfoys had…associates. Sure, there were some people he could be considered 'close' to. But not one of them was a 'friend'…

Crabbe and Goyle? Overly-muscled, dim-witted, gluttonous…they were bodyguards at their best, and flunkies at their lowest.

Theodore Nott? The son of another Death Eater…their families had known each other for several generations…Classmates. Merely a coincidental associate.

Pansy Parkinson? A slightly more…attractive…associate.

Kimura? Kimura was a…a…

…Why didn't he have a category for him?

"…Malfoy?" Kimura's soft voice brought him back to his senses. The transfer was holding out one of the chocolate frogs, still in its wrapping. "Do you…want one?"

Draco eyed it, uncertain, but took it with an indifferent shrug. Kimura was smiling at him again, undoing the package and catching the candy in his mouth as it leapt out. Draco couldn't help but smirk as he did the same.

Maybe having a 'friend' wasn't so bad.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sunday evening, the others listened with surprise and disbelief as Kouichi told them what had happened to him. They were wandering the grounds near the lake, just as the sun was setting, all wrapped up in various colors of scarves and heavy outerwear to guard against the chill of a Scottish winter that had begun to sit in.

They were a bit surprised, to say the least, and not just with the information from the Digital World. Actually, they were a bit more shocked at how much the usually-timid Kouichi was rattling off: about Lowemon, the three Angels, Voldemort in the Digital World, bringing back the D-Tectors…and he'd been talking so long he was almost blue by the time he stopped.

The following silence was almost deafening, broken only by the light crunching of six pairs of feet against the crisp snow.

Finally, Takuya spoke. "Are you _serious_?"

Kouichi shrugged. "Why would I joke?"

"…Woah." Junpei whispered.

"But…That's impossible." Izumi took a deep breath when the elder twin gave her a pained look. "What I mean is, you always have weird dreams when you pass out…last time it was the Alice-in-Wonderland gig…and you've been thinking about things like that a lot lately. Maybe it was just a dream."

Kouichi sighed through his teeth. "I knew you were going to say that." he mumbled, digging in his pocket. "Does this convince you?"

He pulled out a small, pink leaf. Well, it was pink, until it suddenly shifted to red…then orange…then yellow…green…blue…purple…pink…

"Is that…what I think it is?" Tomoki whispered as Kouji took it in his hand.

Kouichi nodded. "From the Village of Beginnings." He didn't need to explain any more…they all remembered the fabulous, multi-colored tree that made the center-point of said village.

Kouji twirled the leaf where everyone could see it, as though confirming its existence, glancing at his brother. "How'd you…?"

"The same way we're getting the D-Tectors back." Kouichi slipped his hands into his pockets. "It was an experiment…to see if the connection would work, with something simple. It'll take a lot more energy for something as complex as the D-Tectors, but we should be able to pull it off…"

It was quiet again. For a moment, they each stewed in their personal thoughts, then Kouji spoke again.

"So…when?"

Kouichi shrugged. "Next week sometime. Angewomon…Ophanimon…wants us to get started as soon as possible."

"And the Digimon?" Junpei pressed on. "Will more Digimon be coming?"

Kouichi sighed. "…It's more than likely."

Another silence, then a grin cracked across Takuya's face.

"Bring 'em on."

**__**

TBC…

Kouichi was, of course, reading a manga analogy somewhere along the quality of _Weekly Shonen Jump_. Tomoki brought it up to him for some entertainment.

Also, if you tear into a present in Japan, you're being extremely rude to the person who gave you the gift. You have to admire the wrapping, then carefully remove it and set it aside, even if you're just going to recycle it.


	26. Facing Fear

Late-night post. Fun.

Once again, I apologize for not updating more frequently. _Gomen, Gomen…_ But, as I said, writer's block is most horrible. I think in the next chapter I might just skip ahead to Christmas, seeing as there is no convenient time to work in the Digimon scene I originally had planned. But, eh…_Que sera sera_…Even Rowling-sama had to leave out scenes she really wanted to do.

BTW…Anybody know where I can find a good midi of _Oreta Tsubasa de -With Broken Wings_? I have translated lyrics, but I want to know how the song goes! And I've searched everywhere…I just can't find it!

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

****

Chapter 26: Facing Fear

Kouichi was getting a bit restless. He was in the Digital World. Again. As they had a agreed on, this time in the depths of the Continent of Darkness. It was a week since his little 'spell' and he'd had plenty of time to recover. The only question was, where the heck were Lowemon and…

A snap of a twig behind him made him jump. He spun around, raising his arms automatically to defend himself.

"Oops. Sorry." Lowemon smiled, coming out of the dense trees with Antylamon just behind him. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Kouichi somehow doubted that. Seeing as he and Lowemon shared the same temperament, he wouldn't be surprised if the lion-like warrior was fond of sneaking up on the people he cared about…an interesting bit of his own that he rarely showed.

Antylamon, on the other hand, didn't seam the least bit amused. As though in redemption for what he had done as the corrupted Cherubimon, he always seamed a tad bit…overprotective…of Kouichi, while he was in this state. Almost like a well-meaning uncle, including its annoyance.

"This is no time to play around, Lowemon." the rabbit-like Digimon admonished. "If we don't get started soon, it will be daylight in the Real World by the time we're done."

Neither Kouichi nor Lowemon mentioned that, because of Lucemon's defeat and the rebuilding, the Digital World moved at three times the rate of the Real World.

Lowemon produced the black and gray D-Tector, holding it out to the boy with a bit of hesitation. "…You sure you're willing to go through with this?"

"This is no time for second thoughts." Kouichi shrugged.

"You realize how dangerous this is." Antylamon pressed. "The leaf was one thing. The D-Tectors are complex and delicate. It'll be a long process, even with the elemental powers of the separate areas taking a bit of the weight…"

"Antylamon." Kouichi interrupted. "I _know_."

Lowemon smiled behind his helmet as Kouichi took the D-Tector in both hands. He sat, folding his legs under him in the most comfortable position he could get in and not fall completely asleep. Sitting straight as he could, he positioned his hands the way Angewomon had shown him before…cupped in just front of his chest, with the D-Tector screen facing up.

"…You're absolutely…?"

"_Antylamon_, please." Kouichi mumbled. "I'm trying to concentrate…"

The two Digimon fell silent as the boy's breathing slowed slightly. Lowemon stood behind him, within arm's reach to lend his strength if needed be, while Antylamon hovered a few feet away.

For a moment, Kouichi concentrated on clearing his mind, loosing any distractions. Then he pressed the 'scanner' button on the side of the D-Tector, a bright red light shooting from the top of the device.

Pushing a bit of magic into his hands, he settled back for a long haul.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Uh…Malfoy?"

Draco hissed slightly, hoping that he had dreamed Crabbe's thick, stupid voice hovering over him like maple syrup. He rolled over, burying his face in his small pile of pillows, trying to block it out.

"Malfoy? Malfoy, come on."

Draco growled, knocking away the thick hands as he sat up. "What _is_ it, Crabbe?"

"Uh…" the large boy hesitated a moment, then pointed at the bed beside Draco's. "There's somethin' wrong with Kimura…"

Draco blinked at him. That was not what he had been expecting. He pushed past his large flunky and crossed to the offending bed, whose curtains were hanging open slightly.

Kimura was lying on his stomach, but you could see that his face was flushed slightly. He was panting, almost as though he had run quite a bit before collapsing onto the bed. His hands were buried in the pillows.

Draco frowned, putting a hand to Kimura's forehead. He wasn't hot, or even slightly warm…nothing to worry about.

"Go to bed, Crabbe." he snapped.

"But Kimura…"

"It's a nightmare, Crabbe. He has them sometimes. Go. To Bed."

The huge boy did as he was told and disappeared from sight. Draco stood there in the curtain's opening a moment, looking down at the transfer before he sighed again despite himself.

He reached down and put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Oy, Kimura." he muttered, shaking him slightly. "Wake up."

The transfer didn't respond, but shifted a bit restlessly. Draco frowned and shook him again. "Kimura. _Up_. Now."

"…Antylamon…stop it." Draco snapped his hand back, a bit confused. Anta…wha?

Kimura suddenly rolled over and blinked up at him, keeping one hand under the pillows. "Oh. Hello, Malfoy-kun." he yawned slightly, rubbing his eye. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

Draco stepped back, regaining his composure and putting his poker face back on. "No. You were making a fit and driving us all crazy."

"Oh…" Kimura sat up slightly and smiled at him. "I apologize for waking you."

"Whatever." Malfoy sat back on his bed, toeing off his slippers. "Just don't do it again."

With that, he snapped his curtains closed and blocked himself off.

As soon as Kouichi was sure he was alone again, he pulled his hand out from under the pillows. The small screen glowed in the darkness, barely illuminating the black and gray casing.

Kouichi smiled a bit, sliding it into a small pocket between the bed frame and the wall before settling back in for some well deserved rest.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Professor Tonks smiled around at the 6th-year class, green eyes now shining under bubblegum pink bangs. The room was now organized back into two separate rows of tables with an open path down the middle. Following the unwritten rule, one side held the Slytherins, with the other made entirely of Gryffindors.

"Well, kiddos." she chuckled with a grin. "I think we've gotten our 'specialties' worked out pretty well. Now to move on to the second part of this semester…Advanced Dark Creatures."

She paused a moment to let that sink in, then began walking slowly though the middle isle with at and easy pace. "Now I feel it only right to warn you folks: This isn't going to be a walk in the park. I know you've tackled some tough things before…with dear ol' Professor Lupin, bless him, the man has had such troubles…But the creatures I have prepared for you will be much more…dangerous.

"Case in point…" she paused at the closet door, at the back of the room. "Our first topic: Dementors."

A collective shiver ran through the room. Harry, in particular, felt a shiver run up his spine. The only ones unaffected were the three transfers, who merely looked a bit apprehensive.

"Yes, I see you all remember that particular creature." Tonks nodded sagely. "However, to really remember, there must be a bit of experience in an encounter, if only to remind you…

"Now before you start protesting or making excuses, know that this is only a _conjured_ Dementor…in other words, a fake." Tonks placed her hand on the doorknob. "The effects have been watered down a bit, so as not to endanger those of us more…susceptible…to the powers."

Harry heard Malfoy and his flunkies snickering and knew they were laughing at him. He refused to turn around and give them the satisfaction of riling him up.

"However, the effects will be similar, and very real." Tonks warned cautiously. "Though a true Dementor may be stronger, ever little bit of experience you can get will heighten your resistance to it…and give you a much better chance of coming away from and encounter alive.

"Now…" she gripped the doorknob in preparation. "Is everyone ready?"

The class remained in hesitant silence. She waited a few more moments, as though making sure, then slowly opened the door.

The figure that stepped out was slightly smaller and paler than a real Dementor, but as it moved it gave off the same icy, heartbreaking chill. It moved slowly down the middle isle, conducted by Tonk's wand like a marching band, turning it blank face left and right to stare at each of the twenty-five students in turn.

Harry restrained himself from covering his ears as the screaming began…this time it was softer, muffled and indistinct, as though he was hearing it from the apartment below the action. But _her_ screams…her mother's screams…still pierced into his core.

It was torture…he could hardly think…he had to find something else to concentrate on…

His eyes darted around, trying to distract himself. Ron and Hermione, next to him, looked like they were taking it worse than they had in third year…of course, after everything they had gone through in the Ministry last year, he wasn't too surprised. Hermione had buried her head in her arms, covering her head slightly, while Ron's freckles stood out like pockmarks on ghost-white skin. Neville was shaking slightly, trying to warm himself by rubbing his arms.

He glanced at the transfers, wondering how they were taking it, and was a bit surprised. Kouji was gripping the tabletop so tightly his knuckles were white, mouthing something wordlessly. Takuya had his hands over his ears, eyes darting around wildly like he expected something to jump out at him.

Harry looked over at the Slytherins, trying to pick out Kouichi. Malfoy was paler than usual, trying to scramble as far away as possible, nearly knocking the Slytherin transfer over. And Kouichi…

Kouichi seamed to be having trouble…breathing?!

His whole body had gone white as a sheet, and his was shaking so hard it made Neville look like he was holding still. His hands had come to clutch at the collar around his throat, he was gasping as though being strangled. A few tears were trickling out of his eyes painfully.

Then, quite suddenly, it was over. The Dementor had disappeared through another door, which Tonks had obviously charmed to lead back into the closet. A collective sigh of relief passed through the class.

"As you can see, the effects can be very…very torturous." the young teacher sighed, producing a basket of chocolate bars, all color-coded for size. "There is only one cure for a real Dementor after-effect…Chocolate. Chocolate has a natural stimulate that spreads happiness through your system, pushing out the Dementor's chilling effects. Soon, we will learn a special charm that, if strong enough, can keep these creatures at bay."

"Of course…" she winked at Harry, handing him an extra-large bar in a red wrapper. "Some of us may already know the technique themselves."

Harry noticed that she gave Kouji and Takuya red bars as well, obviously to compensate for their reactions. Everyone else's, so far, had a green wrapper and were regular-sized.

The teacher paused a moment on the Slytherin side, gently ruffling Kouichi's hair. "You all right there, mate?" she asked gently, "You looked like you were having a pretty nasty time there."

Kouichi looked down. "I…I'm fine."

"I understand." Tonks nodded sagely, setting a red bar in front of him. "Reliving near-death experiences can be a real killer."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"I never want to do that again." Takuya shuddered as they left Defense that day.

Harry wholeheartedly agreed. "Dementors are nasty creatures." Hermione agreed, rubbing her arms. "There were some real ones around here three years ago…when they were searching for an escapee from Azkaban. It was awful."

"I bet." Kouji muttered. He was hovering in the door, waiting for his brother, who was moving very, very slowly, yawning as he did.

Takuya seamed extra-nervous for some reason, glancing this way and that. "Hey…Kouji." he said in a low voice, though it carried to Harry's curious ear. "When that happened, did you hear…voices?"

_Voices?_ Harry's mind jumped. He wasn't the only one?

"No." Kouji said shortly, and Harry's mood fell until his said. "I heard a voice. Singular. Just one."

Takuya leaned forward secretively. "Was it…_him_?" Kouji nodded. "Me too. God, I never wanted to hear that laugh again…"

Harry frowned, but decided he shouldn't ask…no reason to tell them he'd been eavesdropping. He sighed and hurried to catch up with Ron en route to lunch.

Kouichi was the last one out of class, still in mid-yawn as he left the room with his books. Kouji and Takuya were there waiting for him, looking concerned. "Nii-san, are you okay?"

"Just…tired…" the older twin stretched his jaw before sliding it back into place almost like a snake. "I didn't get much rest…last night. I was busy…"

"Busy?" Takuya echoed as they headed towards the Great Hall. "With what?"

A slightly mischievous look slid over Kouichi's face. "With this." he said, slipping something partially out of his pocket.

For a moment, Kouji and Takuya stared at the slightly glowing, black and gray device, then it went back in its hiding place before anyone else could see it. Takuya nearly burst out laughing.

"You actually did it?" he exclaimed, keeping his voice low. "You mean it actually worked?"

"Yup." Kouichi smiled, then yawned again. "But I think, following that…I need a…nap."

He emphasized this by putting his head down on Kouji's shoulder, eyes closed. The younger twin laughed a bit, then treaded his arm back to support him. "Okay, okay." he sighed. "Give me directions, and let's get you back to your commons…"

**__**

TBC…

Lame ending. Damn. Next chapter will be better.


	27. A Western Christmas

I apologize for taking so long…Driver's Ed + Writer's Block Eternal Frustration. (Aiie…It's been almost a month. Gomen ne! Gomen gomen! Please forgive me!)

As a note…there will be NO YAOI IN THIS FIC! (shudders at the suggested idea of Draco and Kouichi as a couple) I don't have anything against Yaoi. Actually, I rather enjoy it sometimes. But not with Harry Potter characters. And not with Harry Potter AND Digimon Frontier characters. (Besides, I'm already pushing Draco to the edge of OOC by showing his humane side…) No thank you.

Oh, and to those guessing who Kouji and Takuya's voices were, let me put it this way: There are only two Digimon who got _really_ close to killing them. And did Duskmon ever actually 'laugh', besides at Mercurimon?

And the reason the twins aren't using their 'connection' is simple: It expends a lot of energy and Kouji doesn't want his brother passing out again. They'll use it again by the end of the story, worry not.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

****

Chapter 27: A Western Christmas…

It was almost midnight that late November evening when Kouji touched down on the boarder of the Forbidden Forest. The moon was full above him, illuminating the dark school grounds ever so slightly.

He jumped nimbly off Izumi's broom, slipping it under a bush to retrieve it later. It'd taken quite a bit of rather degrading favor-begging, but a broom was the only way he could get down here and back to the common room without being caught, and the Inazuma 300 was twice as silent as any of the Western-style brooms.

Glancing quickly at Hagrid's hut, to make sure he wasn't being watched, he slipped into the trees. He was looking for the most private place he could, away from anyone's gaze…He needed to do a bit of a test.

He came to a small clearing…it would have to do.

Pausing a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-Tector, which Kouichi had slipped to him during breakfast that morning. Directly following, his brother wandered aimlessly back to the Slytherin commons and was suspected to have slept through lunch and all the way up to dinner, when Malfoy finally drug him down.

Obviously, as long as he was bringing the Digivices through the connection, Kouichi was going to be far too tired to try Digivolving himself. And, seeing as it would be another three weeks before he got the strength to bring another one, this was the best time for them to try…just in case.

Kouji flipped the D-Tector into his hand, catching it the right way up. He pressed the side button, turning on the scanner, and closed his eyes…

_"Execute, Spirit Evolution!"_

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Harry couldn't sleep.

This happened sometimes, much to his annoyance. If his maps in Astronomy were correct, it was mostly when the moon was on it's 22nd day, that is, the day right after the last quarter. Professor Trelawney would say, of course, that it was on a 22nd day that he had his first great tragedy or some rubbish of the sort. Hermione said he was just a bit more sensitive to that degree of moonlight and that this kind of thing happened to all sorts of wizards.

Whatever the reason, he was now sitting up in the window of the 6th-year boy's dorms, looking over the grounds and up at the less-than-quarter moon. He listened to the breathing around him, counting the sound of six boys fast asleep.

No, wait…only five. Kouji hadn't come up from the common room yet, leaving his bed empty. Harry checked his watch. It was past midnight, he wondered if the transfer had fallen asleep…

A sudden flash out the window drew his attention. He snapped his head around, just in time to see a sudden pocket of light explode from the Forbidden Forest, just at the edge, bright at pure white.

Harry squinted towards it, seeing as it illuminated half the grounds. For a moment, he though he saw the figure of a silvery-white wolf amongst the glow, and then…

It disappeared.

Harry blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the colored dots that fluttered before them. The light had vanished, as quickly as though someone had flipped a switch in a muggle home. But where did it come from?

The trees near that location rustled a bit, drawing his attention. A dark figure stepped out, glanced around with a tense posture, then reached down and pulled a broom from under a bush. They mounted it and kicked off, headed straight for the Common Room, six stories below him.

They hit the light just before entering the open window, and Harry's quick eyes (and the long, black ponytail as it whipped in behind him) identified it as one person: Kouji.

Two thoughts sprung instantly into Harry's mind. The first was, _"Why didn't I think of that?"_

And the second, _"What the bloody hell was he doing!"_

He heard the door start to open seconds before it did and dove into his own bed on instinct. He heard Kouji enter the room, yawn, change his clothes, yawn again, and finally collapse into bed. The transfer sounded…tired.

Harry rolled over, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

The light, and that shape he'd seen…it looked like a Patronus. Had Kouji been practicing the Patronus charm? It seamed plausible, they were studying the basics of the charm in Defense, and if anyone suited the 'Lone Wolf' persona, it was Kouji. But why out in the forest? And would it really make that much light if he was just practicing? The only time his had ever made such a glow was when he and Sirius…

He was so busy thinking that he hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until the alarm went off the next morning.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The days seamed to go by rather quickly. Before anyone quite grasped it, it was time for the Christmas holidays. As usual, Harry remained, as did Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, whose parents apparently had other plans that they'd rather not participate in. Malfoy stayed too, but Harry, thankfully, saw very little of him. The transfers were remaining as well, seeing as jetlag was not the greatest gift.

The first week of the hols went by quickly, almost too quickly.

There was a blizzard about halfway through the week, covering everything in about two feet of fresh white snow that stayed through a full moon Christmas Eve. Hagrid dragged in the usual Christmas decorations of festive pine trees, as Professor Flitwick entertained himself by charming the portrait frames to flash different Yuletide colors.

As for Christmas morning…

"Harry! Oy! Hey, Harry, wake up!"

Harry burst awake at the insistent call. For a moment he blinked at the blurred red shape in front of him, then he found his glasses. The shape reveled itself to be Ron's red, freckly face, grinning at him from ear to ear.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" he shouted brightly.

Harry blinked at him, then grinned slightly. "Happy Christmas, Ron." he yawned. "What time is it?"

"Seven." Ron sparked brightly, leaping across to Takuya and Kouji's beds and hitting both of their curtains at the same time. "Far too late if you ask me! Happy Christmas, you two!"

Takuya's head popped sleepily out of the red curtains, followed by Kouji's from the other bed. "…What are you going on about, Weasley?"

"Happy Christmas!" Ron repeated, bounding over to his own bed.

"And this is important…why?" Kouji mumbled, yawning.

Ron looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. "Well, look!" he exclaimed, holding up one of the packages that had appeared at the foot of his bunk.

Takuya blinked, then scrambled to look over his own stack of colorful gifts. "Woah!" he exclaimed. "Where'd those come from!"

"It's Christmas." Harry said with a shrug, selecting one of his own packages and starting on the paper.

Kouji, now sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed, looked down at his pile emotionlessly. "It's a western tradition." he mumbled shortly, the shrugged himself. "I guess our folks must've sent the New Year's gifts early."

He picked up a smallish package from the top of the stack and started to open it, very carefully. After a moment Takuya dug in as well, not so carefully.

Harry looked up at them, opening a package from Lupin that seamed to be a new Defense Against the Dark Arts book. "You guys weren't expecting this?"

Kouji shrugged. "Why would we be? Japan's not Christian."

"Yeah." Takuya nodded, pulling the wrapper off a set of reinforced Quidditch Armor. (Harry assumed it was Eastern style, as it was thinner and ran further up the arms than his own did) "It's just another day back home. Christmas Eve's a date night."

"A _what_?"

"A date night." Takuya shrugged. "You know…take-your-girlfriend-out-for-a-night-on-the-town-or-she'll-never-forgive-you kind of thing."

He looked over at Kouji and burst out laughing. "Kouji, what _is_ that?"

The dark-haired transfer glared, holding a very nice blue-and-white sweeter, with a snowflake pattern that seamed to change every time he moved it. "Mother makes all her gifts by hand. It's the only thing she can afford."

"Not that…" Takuya waved his hand nonchalantly, reaching over to Kouji's lap. "_This_."

He held up something in a bright, bulky plastic wrapping, colorful Japanese letters scattered across the bright packaging. The device inside seamed plastic as well, with a small screen and surrounded by a hard, colorful casing.

"Dad's present.." Kouji rolled his eyes. "You can have it, if you want."

"Nah. It's useless, anyway." Takuya tossed it onto Kouji's bed.

Ron retrieved it, examining the device strangely. "What the heck is this thing?"

"Some stupid video game." Kouji muttered, sampling some sort of sweet that had come with his mother's sweater. "It's the same kind of thing every year."

"A 'video game'?" Ron frowned. "Don't he know those don't work 'round here?"

"No." Kouji snapped simply, and turned bluntly away from him.

Ron turned confused eyes to Harry, who slashed the air as though to say, "Don't ask." The redhead shrugged and went back to plunging through his gifts.

Rather quickly, all four boys were surrounded by piles of colorful paper and bright ribbons. Books, candies, clothes and the other gifts were stacked amongst them, each having been assessed and counted by their respective new owners, who were scrambling to get dressed for the usual amazing Christmas lunch.…er, brunch.

Just as Harry and Ron had hurried down the stairs to the commons, a loud, animal-like sound rang through the room. The door bounced open as a large, silky black cat leapt into the room. A thick, red ribbon was tied around her neck and looped loosely around her front legs, holding a small, brown package between her shoulder blades. There was a small, parchment envelope clutched in her teeth, labeled in Kanji. Her green eyes were wide with intent excitement as she bounded across then room and leapt up onto Takuya's bed with a joyful purr.

"Wha…Yugure?" The brown-haired boy faltered, quickly pulling a t-shirt over his head and leaning down to look at the cat. Kouji, too, leaned over in curiosity as the cat presented her letter, looking quite pleased with herself.

Takuya took the letter, as it was addressed to him, opening it with a raised eyebrow. He scanned it over, reading some very plain, though familiar, hiragana script:

_Takuya - Sorry it's late. Overslept. Merri Krismasu._

The brunet's eyebrow raised even further, glancing at Kouji before reaching over to pick up the brown package curiously. Yugure mewed happily, bounding over to sit in Kouji's lap as Takuya opened it.

A flash of black and red plastic told them instantly what it was. Takuya's grin widened slightly as the paper fell away, revealing his D-Tector and its glowing screen.

He looked up at Kouji with a slight smile. "Guess we better save him some lunch."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The kind remark was unnecessary, however, as Kouichi was there at the singular table that had been set for the few remaining students, wrapped warmly in a brand new red-and-green sweater that had a nice forest pattern on it. (Harry thought he saw small red animals running through the green trees) By the way he was yawning, it was a fair guess that Malfoy, next to him, had dragged him upstairs so he wouldn't miss the standard extravagance of Christmas 'brunch'. The few remaining students were already there, waiting impatiently, as Dumbledore wouldn't summon up the meal until everyone was there.

"Takuya!" Izumi waved him over to where the transfers…even Kouichi, though he was a bit apart, with Malfoy…were sitting. "Kouji, come on! You two are always running late!"

"Don't lump me in with him." Kouji muttered sliding into the bench next to his brother. Takuya took a place next to Izumi, while Harry and Ron were seated nearby…as far away from Malfoy as humanly possible.

Several girls, including Hermione, were gathered around Ginny in a giggling group. Ron frowned at them as he sat down. "Oi." he called. "What's with you lot?"

Some of the third-years glanced back at giggled at him. "Ginny's got a secret admirer!" one of them cooed.

"WHAT!" Ron exclaimed, going rigid.

"See for yourself." Hermione stated boldly, taking something from Ginny and holding it out to the boys. It was a smiling, brown teddy bear with shining, bright green eyes. There was a red ribbon around its neck with a heart-shaped card attached to it, an unfamiliar script reading:

_With love…Tohi_.

Ron went red in the face, which prompted Harry to slip an ice cube down his back to bring him back to his senses. "ACK! HARRY!"

Laughter rippled across the table as Ron shook the ice out of his shirt. Hermione continued to examine the card with scrutiny. "Hm… 'Tohi', huh?" she glanced at Izumi. "Does that mean anything in Japanese?"

"Well…" Izumi shrugged. "It's either to escape, or the choice between right or wrong…there's probably more, that's just off the top of my head."

"Lemme see." Takuya pulled the bear over and examined the tag. After a moment a mysterious grin cracked over his face, but it disappeared quickly as he handed it back. "Who knows. Whoever it is, he's pretty shy…"

No one noticed a certain boy's cheeks flush slightly pink as he hid behind a comic magazine.

With a small rush, the feast appeared and everyone dug in heartily.

Ron was now distracting himself by toying with the video game, having finally got it out of the plastic packaging as he ate. "Weird…" he mumbled through his food, turning the toy over and over in his hands. "Mind if I send it to my dad? He loves this kinda stuff…"

"Whatever." Kouji shrugged, taking a rather large bite of stewed mutton.

"Hey, Kimura." Ron swallowed his food and leaned over to look down the table. Kouichi glanced his way with quiet manners, ignoring Malfoy's foul look towards the redhead. "Did your dad send you somethin' weird like this?"

Harry choked slightly on the potatoes he'd been eating. Out of respect for the twin's privacy, he hadn't told anyone, including Ron, about their…parental…situation, so it wouldn't exactly be fair to kick him, but still…

Takuya, on the other hand, promptly kicked Ron in the shin, which was less than Izumi would have done had the redhead been within her reach.

Kouichi's eyes took on a quietly sad gaze. "No." he sighed with a rather pathetic pretending-not-to-care smile. "…He didn't send anything. Dad…Hates me."

Harry felt a wave of sympathy wash over him as Kouichi turned back to his lunch, trying to hide his depression, with a rather unsuccessful smile. Ron was frowning and looked about to ask something, but was easily silenced by Kouji's icy glare. Harry noticed his hand slip under the table to squeeze his brother's almost protectively.

Hermione reached over and grabbed Ron by the ear. "Next time, think before you speak." she hissed.

"How was I supposed to know?" the redhead groaned, pulling himself free and rubbing his sore ear.

Somehow, Professor Dumbledore seamed to realize it was getting a bit too tense at their end of the table, because he suddenly appeared with a large basket of wizarding crackers floating beside him. He smiled warmly at Harry, pulling out one of the crackers and offering him an end. "Christmas is not a time for sour memories."

A grin cracked across Harry's face. He grasped his end and pulled.

The cracker went off like a cannon, causing several 2nd-years and all of the transfers to jump a foot. From the smoke came half a dozen white mice and a large, curved, striped hat like something out of Doctor Seuss. Dumbledore grinned widely as he pushed it down over Harry's head, making him and the rest of the Gryffindors laugh.

With a wave of his wand, the Headmaster tossed the crackers over the table, and soon the hall was filled with enough gunshots and smoke to fake a war zone. Between the laughing, joking, and trading of wild prizes, the earlier tension was easily forgotten.

And when they fell into bed that night, everyone…even the Transfers, who had never before experienced a western Christmas, and Draco Malfoy, who almost never smiled period…wore the same content, happy and relaxed grin, slipping away to enjoy the rest of the winter holidays…

**__**

TBC…

Yes, I do believe that the moon has an effect on the human body. Myself, I am unable to sleep until late at night on the 5th day, and wake up especially early after the 24th.

__

Merri Krismasu - 'Merry Christmas', written in Katakana. Japanese pronunciation. I probably didn't spell it right. Oh well.

(evil grin) Thus begins the introduction of my special surprise couple! If you can guess it, you get a cyber-cookie!


	28. And An Eastern New Year

This chapter is unusually long…(sigh) Cultural confusion…perfect. Okay, yes Christmas _is_ celebrated in Japan…In a way. It's not huge, like it is in the West, though. Basically, you get together with friends (or, more commonly for older kids, your boy/girlfriend) and…well, hang out. And eat fried chicken. (Don't ask) And…That's about it. You don't even get off school. The REAL winter holiday for the Japanese is addressed here…

Well, lots of people guess right on the Secret Couple, but I'm not going to spoil it! Oh, and only ONE PERSON got the bit with the signature just right! Sugoi! (gives out the promised cyber-cookies and an extra dozen to the one who figured out what 'Tohi' meant) Don't worry, there will be an answer! Er…sometime around Valentine's day. (A chapter or two away…)

And to the ones asking me why I don't show Junpei much in this fic: I can only work with so many characters at a time, and he is not only my LEAST favorite, but the one I am LEAST able to write. So guess who gets shifted to the back burner in the name of creative integrity?

This chapter has a lot of Japanese culture in it. If anything confuses you, see my author's note/miniature index there at the bottom.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

****

Chapter 28: …And An Eastern New Year

"Uh…Guys?"

"Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

It was easy to see why Ron was just a tad bit surprised. He and Harry had entered the sixth-year dorms just before lunch on the 31st to find both Kouji and Takuya's trunks empty, their bedclothes completely stripped off, and the assortment of…things…from either location scattered across the room in semi-organized groups. Takuya was currently dangling his comforter out the window, snapping it sharply as though beating out a rug, while Kouji folded items of Muggle clothes and stacking them in his trunk on top of the Christmas presents he wasn't planning on using.

"New Year's cleaning." the black-haired boy muttered, folding a pair of jeans and pressing it into the pile of his trunk.

"'New Year's cleaning'?" Harry echoed, cautiously jumping over a stack of textbooks to drop on to his bed.

"Yeah, you know…" Takuya grinned brightly, giving the blanket a few more magically-induced whacks before pulling it back in. "Last day of the year, right? Gotta get everything in order for the new one…start fresh…'with a clean slate', I think the term is around here…"

"You do this every year?" Ron asked, slightly surprised as Takuya neatly 'magicked' his bed made.

"There's loads more at home." Takuya sighed, sitting on the floor by his bed and starting to count off on his fingers. "What, with beating the futons out…cleaning the bathrooms…changing the _tatami_ mats and moving furniture…Not to mention that at school you have to clean out your desk and mop up the floors and the gym…"

"And the shrine…" Kouji muttered nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, since we're there so often, you gotta help Hakaishi-sensei and Kenkyo-sensei with the tables and dusting the rice-paper barriers around the _genkan_…and Kouichi-kun likes taking care of Hakai's crows, so we help him with that sometimes… and of course there's shopping and cooking for the girls and…"

"Okay, okay, we _get_ it!" Ron exclaimed, covering his ears with his pillow. "Argh, if I had to even hear about any more of that, I'd go off my rocker! How do you guys _stand_ it?"

Takuya laughed and Kouji smirked. "It's only once a year." the black-haired boy said calmly, now moving to his textbooks.

Harry checked his watch. "You might want to be wrapping this up." he shrugged, turning the item where the transfers could see the face. "It's almost lunch time."

"We'll be there." Takuya grinned again, waving as Ron and Harry exited the room.

Ron shook his head as they tromped down the stairs. "New Year's cleaning." he sighed, rolling his eyes. "That lot's brought some weird stuff, but that's the looniest one yet."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Naturally enough, Ron was proven wrong at lunch that afternoon. Among the usual dishes and foods, there were three large, boiling pots of…some kind of thin, brownish noodle soup.

"What is…?" Harry started, before the Transfers stepped in.

"All right!" Junpei cheered, diving for a bowl and the serving spoon. "It's soba!"

"Dumbledore must've remembered!" Izumi gushed, digging in herself.

"Remembered…what?" Hermione asked, curious.

"It's tradition." Takuya mumbled through a mouthful of noodles. He slurped them up quickly, then spoke a bit more clear. "You always eat soba on New Year's, for good luck."

"Good luck?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "From eating noodles?"

"Hey, it's better than cabbage." Takuya shrugged, then started in on his noodles again.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other and shrugged. Harry reached for a bowl and dipped himself some soup, picking up a pair of chopsticks, as it seamed appropriate. It took him a moment of observing how the transfers ate (lifting the noodles slightly in the chopsticks, then slurping them the rest of the way…) before he tried a small bite of the substance himself.

Though he had been cautious for a 'surprising' taste, similar to the sushi he'd eaten the first night, but instead he found it tasting rather…normal, all things considered. Compared to the Italian noodles he was used to, it was a bit like eating whole wheat bread instead of white, more grainy than anything else. As for the soup itself, it was a rather fishy-tasting broth with the now-familiar, spicy eastern seasonings. And a bit of boiled egg, he noticed, floating around, but you didn't taste it much.

"…Well?" Ron asked, and Harry abruptly realized that all the Gryffindors and most of the others who weren't either Slytherin or from another country were staring at him intently.

He slurped the noodles up, chewed, swallowed, and grinned. "It's good." he assured them. "Really…It's different, but it's good."

His words put some of them at ease to try the strange soup themselves. The transfers, on the other hand, all seamed particularly happy to have something more familiar in their bowls and were starting on a second serving each.

About halfway through that second bowl, Kouichi suddenly sighed. He rested his chopsticks on the edge of the bowl, looking a bit disturbed about something. Malfoy, beside him, gave him a rather annoyed kind of concerned look.

This did not go unnoticed by Kouji, who paused as well. "Kouichi? What's up?"

"Mm…Nothing, really." the elder twin sighed, looking a bit depressed. "I guess…I was just thinking about what our parents and everyone is doing back home tonight…"

One by one, the other transfers just…stopped, as though a collective thought that hadn't occurred to them had appeared all at once. Following this collective recognition was a collective sigh and a mutually depressed look. "…Yeah." Tomoki's face drooped in disappointment. "I guess…we'll miss the festival this year, huh?"

"…Oh." whispered Junpei. "I… didn't think about that."

"Me neither." Takuya sighed. "You know…as long as we're here…we'll miss all the festivals this year…Every last…one of them…"

"Oh, Takuya, don't say stuff like that!" Izumi groaned, putting her bowl on the table and leaning back with an aggravated moan. "Oh…I _hate_ being homesick!"

"He's right though…" Kouji frowned. "As long as we're here, there are going to be a lot of festivals we'll miss…Not just Oshogatsu…Golden Week…"

"Children's day." Tomoki mumbled.

"The Sakura Festival…" Izumi looked practically in mourning. "No cherry blossoms 'round here."

There was another collective sigh from the transfers, all of who seamed to have lost their appetites. Harry paused in his meal, feeling a bit sorry for them. He'd never felt any homesickness at Hogwarts…why would he, his 'home' was little less than a hellhole…but he couldn't imagine being stuck in a completely different country, thousands of miles away from your loving family and having to adapt to the customs around you…

Dumbledore suddenly stood, clearing his throat. The small motion could instantly silence an entire school of a thousand, so, naturally, the two-dozen of them were quiet as the old man approached them.

"Before you all go off…" he said, smiling warmly. "I would like to announce that dinner will not be held at its regular time tonight."

There was some confused mumbling, which he allowed to subside before he continued. "Since tonight is a very special event for our visiting wizards, the teachers and I decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to add a bit of a…cultural experience."

"We will be eating out in the grounds tonight…I trust you will be able to find us. The festivities will begin about an hour after nightfall, which, I believe, would be around seven thirty at this time of year. As a warning, it is formal-dress, so please…dress appropriately."

With that, he turned and, with a slight smile to the transfers, left the Great Hall.

"Formal dress?" Ron repeated. "For a picnic? Outside?"

Hermione kicked him again, but the transfers hadn't noticed. Actually, exactly following the announcement, Izumi rose and announced that she was going to start getting ready.

"Hey…" Harry hesitated to call after her. "It's only three o'clock!"

"Eh, she probably wants to take a bath first." Takuya shrugged, grinning. "We're probably not gonna have time tonight."

"Takuya…" Kouji muttered, setting down his chopsticks and rising from the table. "We should probably leave, too. Or are you forgetting how long it takes to put on _kimono_, especially without the help?"

Takuya faltered a moment, then his face fell slightly comically. "Oh, yeah…I kinda forgot about that."

Harry and Ron blinked. "What's a ki…"

"You'll see." Kouji snapped, cutting them off, and promptly left the Great Hall as the remains of their meal disappeared.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Draco entered the Slytherin common room at around 6:15, planning to take a nice, long bath, change leisurely into his dress robes (brand new, blue silk with small emeralds lining the seams) and still make it down to the 'special' event while only being fashionably late…

What he hadn't been planning on was entering his dorm room to find Kimura struggling to get into some kind of knee-length, dark red robe, several other layers lying spread out on his bed.

"Oh…Malfoy-kun." he sighed, trying to hold the robe together with one hand and tie a plain black sash behind himself at the same time. "I…don't suppose you could help me with this?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, but wandered begrudgingly over, glancing at the other garments with a very mild, well-hidden curiosity. He took the sash, finding small clasps hidden in the fabric to attach it around Kimura's back as the transfer held the robe shut. He noted, with some interest, that Kimura was wearing an odd kind of split-toed white sock on both feet.

"Thank you very much." the dark-haired boy sighed. "These things are almost impossible to get into on your own…'There's no room for sloppiness in wearing kimono' after all…"

"Why even bother?" Malfoy turned away, quickly shedding the school-bred nonsense and donning the fine robes suitable of a pure-bred wizard in his position.

Kimura looked both confused and a little hurt. "I…I would've thought you'd understand…Out of anybody."

"Understand _what_?"

"This…" Kimura spread his arms, showing both the knee-length robe and the ankle-length green one he'd slipped halfway on. "This is our heritage, Malfoy-kun. The Japanese have been wearing _kimono_ since…since before written language was inherited from China. It's…It's…"

"I get it." Draco growled. The transfer fell silent as Malfoy stewed this over a moment, clipping shut the emerald cufflinks. Heritage…tradition…This sounded very…familiar.

And here he'd thought Kimura didn't fit in with Slytherin.

"…All in the blood, I suppose." he shrugged, and wandered over to help attach the sash over the second layer.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Fifteen to seven, Harry and Ron headed up to the dorm rooms to change. Hermione had disappeared an hour and a half before, along with most of the other girls, but was planning to meet them in the entry hall before heading out. They were just a little surprised to find Tomoki in the 6th-year's dorms, being tended to by Takuya as Kouji watched them disdainfully from his place against the doorframe.

"Are you ready yet?" the black-haired transfer muttered. "We're gonna be late."

"Almost…"

"What are you guys _doing_?" Ron blurted, catching their attention for the first time.

Harry, pushing past Kouji to get to his trunk, could see why his friend was a bit confused. Their dress robes were really simple…you just pulled them over your head, buttoned the sleeves and snapped the cuffs…but whatever Takuya was helping Tomoki into seamed really, _really_ complicated.

For one thing, he could see that the ankle-length robe the younger boy wore…a pale orange color…was covering a shorter, knee-length red one that had been tied beneath it, but you wouldn't have noticed at first glance because of the measures Takuya was taking to align the robes with each other _exactly_. Takuya himself wore an ankle-length robe of dark red, with a bright gold underneath and a fan tucked in the back of his outer sash. The only reason Harry knew it was a fan was because Kouji was holding one himself…they were small, round, and painted with various scenes, Kouji's of a rabbit and Takuya's showing a mountain range with a sunset. The black-haired transfer was wearing a blue outer robe with holes in the outside sleeves, showing the white one under neither. All three were wearing a sort of white split-towed sock with thin, light sandals.

"Just getting ready." Takuya shrugged. "You guys not worried? It's almost time."

"Uh…yeah." Harry pulled his dress robes over his head, and was ready in a few quick snaps. "All set."

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"That's it."

The black-haired transfer frowned. "What's the point of dressing up if you don't put a little effort into it?"

Harry didn't have an answer to that one, but he was saved from doing so as Takuya got the last clip in place on Tomoki's robe. "There! Done!"

"About time." Kouji rolled his eyes, snapping the fan shut. "Let's go."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The girls were waiting for them in the front hall, along with Junpei, who was wearing a blue-and-yellow robe that barely fit around his wide frame.

Harry glanced at Ron wordlessly, then reached over and closed his mouth discreetly before the girls could notice. He did have to admit, Hermione looked great in her sleek powder-blue robes, her hair smoothed and pulled back into a long, graceful braid. She smiled at them, obviously taking Ron's gawking as a complement.

Ginny didn't look bad either, in dark red with her hair in a decorative bun, but Harry doubted Ron was staring at her. Izumi wore a dark blue kimono with sleeves much, much longer than the boy's, and liberally decorated with large purple-and-blue butterflies. A thick, purple sash was wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her back very straight in an almost uncomfortable way. She carried a fan as well, decorated with what seamed to be purple flowers.

"There you are." she sighed, smiling at Takuya fetchingly. "It's about time…Where's Kouichi-kun?"

"What, he's not here yet?" Takuya blinked, looking around.

"Would I be asking if he was?"

The sound of footsteps suddenly caught their attention as two figures rose out of the dungeons. Harry stiffened a bit in defense when he realized one of them was none other than Draco Malfoy. He relaxed only a hairline fracture when Kouichi appeared next to him, listening to the blonde boy talk patiently.

The first thing Harry noticed was the state of Kouichi's kimono. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it, it was the same style, same dress as the other boys, dark red showing from underneath forest green, tied with a red sash. But it looked…different, in the way Ron's had when they first reached Hogwarts. It was about an inch short, and faded, the edges tattered and frayed, a few strings hanging loose, and there was a small hole about half-way down the front.

Harry was tempted to ask, but then he remembered what Kouji had said Christmas morning, unwrapping presents…_"Mother makes all her gifts by hand. It's the only thing she can afford."_

Kouichi lived with their mother, and Harry was willing to bet those fancy robes got pretty expensive. He decided to keep his mouth shut as the transfers gathered (Malfoy storming off in a huff beforehand) and left through the large doors. Harry shook his head as he, Ron and Hermione followed quickly after them.

Dumbledore was right, it was easy to find, thanks to the collective glow of about a hundred paper lanterns, doubled by their own reflection with the stars in the dark, glassy lake. These lanterns were surrounding a large tent without walls, glowing with its own light and sizzling with a slight heat, which melted the snow around it easily.

Inside the tent was a long, low table with blanket edges hanging out from under the 'top'…an extra layer that had been placed on top. This top had long, thick, wooden strips down each side, but in the very middle was a flat stovetop, various different dishes, both odd and familiar, cooking on it. The two sides were lined with pillows, obviously meant as seats.

Ron blinked at the blanket in surprise. "What the…?"

"Cool! It's a giant _kotatsu_." Takuya exclaimed.

"A what?"

"Just watch." Izumi winked. She crossed to one side of the table, folding her legs underneath her to sit gracefully on one of the pillows. (This itself seamed odd to Harry, as he was sure her feet would be asleep in minutes) With a short motion, she pulled the blanket up over her lap and smiled again brightly. "See? It's nice and warm."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but sat down gingerly (cross-legged) and lifted the blanket over his lap. He was pleasantly surprised, as Izumi was very right…it was quite warm, obviously heated from beneath by something magical. It was soothing, in a way, and kept you from freezing in the cold, winter night air.

As soon as everyone was seated and comfortable, a polite buy loud cough sent eyes turning down the end of the table to where Dumbledore and the other teachers set. Dumbledore looked almost funny…the robe he was wearing had obviously been made to look somewhat like a dark blue kimono without all extra the work.

"Welcome, all." he said warmly. "I trust you've made yourself comfortable…And, transfers, I trust you approve of the decorations."

Takuya shouted something in Japanese, which Harry could only assume was approval. Dumbledore smiled, seaming to understand. "I do hope you all will be…satisfied…with tonight's meal, as well."

He clapped his hands once and the food appeared. There were all kinds of meats keeping warm on the stove, legs of mutton and beef and pork, as well as several hot-cooked vegetarian dishes and lots of cooler foods lining the wooden edges. But there were also several things Harry and the other 'locals' had never seen before…The most notable being several things that were directly on the stovetop, round and flat, but made of several long, thin strands, all wound together and cooked at once.

"What the…?"

"Okonomiyaki." Kouji said shortly, reaching out with a knife and fork to pull one over. Kouichi, sitting across from him, assisted with his own utensils before reaching for one of his own.

"Oh-ko-wha?" Ron looked like he was getting a headache.

"Well, some people 'round here would call it 'Japanese Pizza'." Takuya mentioned, taking a big bite. "Mm…Modan-yaki…"

"It doesn't look like pizza." Harry blinked. He'd seen Dudley gobble eight large ones in a sitting once, but what little he'd seen of them hadn't looked a thing like what the transfers were eating.

"It's just a weird name someone came up with." Izumi swallow. "Because you can put different things in it, but as long as it has the sauce and the shape it's an Okonomiyaki."

"Wanna try?" Tomoki piped. He cut a small piece off his own and put it on a small plate, holding it out to the other Gryffindors. "Mine's Tonpei-yaki."

Ron accepted the plate, looking at the light brown…reeds…floating in the thick red sauce, then held it out to Harry. "Oh no." Harry pushed it back towards him. "I tried the last one. Your turn."

Ron gulped. "I don't like fish…"

"They don't all have fish in them…do they?" Harry blinked at Takuya, who shook his head. Most of the people around them were having quite a good time watching this little exchange, except, of course, for Malfoy, who was pretending not to be interested and staring off in the opposite direction.

"But that's not saying this one…"

"Oh, give it here." Hermione snatched the plate out of his hand, speared the bite on her fork and popped it into her mouth before anyone could object or laugh. All eyes were on her as she chewed slowly, swallowed…and smiled.

With that assurance that it wasn't going to kill anybody, everyone soon settled into their conversations. The hours ticked by, but there was barely any notice between all the unusual…disturbances.

First of all, the ghosts were having a ball, literally, dancing out across the glassy lake. Then a large drum started pounding out a strange beat on its own in the middle of the second course, prompting several empty plates and glasses to leap off the table and dance their way into a wash buckets. Sometime soon afterwards, the third course (dessert) appeared, accompanied by several wickerwork baskets, filled with…uh…

"What are these?" Hermione asked, taking one of the dolls. At least, Harry assumed they were some kind of doll…they were small, red and vaguely circular, looking like a man's head with large, black spots where his eyes shoulder have been. They were accompanied by small brushes, which had been charmed to hold ink like a pen.

"Darumas." Izumi smiled, taking one. "They're wish-makers."

"Wish-makers?"

"Yeah. Like this." the blonde girl took one of the brushes, thought a moment, then painted a black dot in the middle of the left eye of her doll. "You paint one eye in when you make a wish, and the other when it comes true."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden clang of a bell. Heads shot up to the clock tower as they realized, with a jolt, that it was midnight. There was an expectant hush as the bells rang…four…five…six…

"Shichi…hachi…kyuu…" Takuya was counting under his breath.

Izumi poked his shoulder. "English, Takuya!"

Ten…eleven…twelve!

At the last tone, several wizard crackers were set off at once, causing several people to shriek and the rest to laugh. The laughter turned to cheers and shouts of "Happy New Year!" from the ghosts and teachers, and someone was trying to start a chorus of 'Should auld acquaintance…'

And the bells kept ringing.

The excitement soon settled down to confusion as the bells continued to clang in their slow, counting rhythm. Seventeen…eighteen…nineteen…

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered. Harry could tell she was ready for the worst…she was tense all over. Ron, too, had all his hair standing on end.

Twenty-two…twenty-three…twenty-four…

Nearly Headless Nick came soaring down from the clock tower and bowed deeply to Dumbledore. "There's an odd bit of parchment attached to one of the bells, headmaster." he reported briskly. "Strange writing on it…very oriental, if I do say so myself, but it won't come off…"

"I suspect it won't." Dumbledore chuckled. "Until it has finished it's spell."

Thirty-five…thirty-six…thirty-seven…

"And how long with that be?" Professor McGonagall bristled slightly all over.

"Oh…I think a hundred-and-eight sounds should be its limit." Dumbledore turned and smiled warmly down to the end of the table. "Isn't that right, Mr. Kimura?"

Forty-eight…Forth-nine…fifty…

One by one, the transfer's eyes turned to stare at the boy, who was blushing a bright red as he poked at the cake he was eating. "Kouichi-kun?" Izumi breathed, trying very hard not to laugh.

"When'd you do that!" Takuya demanded, not even bothering to hold in his laughter.

Sixty-three…Sixty-four…sixty-five

"Hakaishi-sensei asked me to do it…" Kouichi blushed even deeper. "He sent the charm with my Christmas gifts…It's bad luck, you know, if you don't hear the gongs."

"But why so many rings?" Hermione asked, as Harry tried to time it. They'd been at it for two minutes now, and showed no sign of stopping.

Seventy-six…Seventy-seven…Seventy-eight…

"One for every sin a human is capable of." Kouichi muttered, sounding almost as if he was repeating a scripture. Harry noticed for the first time that he'd been idly messing with one of the brushes, practicing that strange 'Kanji' writing down the side of a napkin.

Kouji sighed, shaking his head with an amused air. "They pound gongs back home." he sighed. "It's kind of a…cleansing…ritual. The priests say it's bad luck if you don't hear them."

Eighty-nine…Ninety…Ninety-one…

"Of course." Izumi giggled. "That's Kouichi-kun for you…He's wanted to be a priest for ages."

"Really?" Harry blinked, impressed. Kouichi blushed ever deeper, looking very much as though he wanted to sink into the blankets of the kotatsu and not come out until the snow melted.

"Yup. They're the ones who teach our magic classes back home." Izumi nodded.

Kouji cleared his throat, sending a Look Izumi's way. If he hadn't known him for several months, Harry would've thought he'd sent a death glare, but it was just his subtle way of telling someone to shut up. Harry suspected it had something to do with Kouichi's visible discomfort.

Hundred-and-four…Hundred-and-five…Hundred-and-six…

With a last few extra loud crashes, the bells fell silent, as did the small crowd. The twenty-some-odd students looked up at Dumbledore, who simply smiled and stood.

"Goodnight, all. Happy New Year."

**__**

TBC…

Tatami - mats made out of reeds that are woven together, used as a floor covering. It's very traditionally Japanese, and most homes have at least one room of this style, but, though you have to exchange outside shoes for slippers upon entering a Japanese home, you have to go barefoot on _tatami_ because it's very fragile and, bluntly, impossible to clean.

__

Genkan - hallway, i.e., where you leave your shoes before entering a tatami-matted area.

Yes, it is very good luck to eat Soba (brown wheat noodles) on New Year's. It is also perfectly fine to slurp your noodles…they say they taste better that way. (Note that I have never actually tasted soba, as of yet…I'm just estimating)

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Oshogatsu - The three-day Japanese New Year's ceremony.

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Golden Week - A week of holidays in April/May which, if set up right, results in nine consecutive days off of school. The holidays include Green Day (_Midori no hi_), Constitution Memorial Day (_Kempo Kinenbi_) and Children's Day (_Kodomo no hi)_

Children's Day - May 5th. Celebration of children.

__

Cherry Blossoms - The 'Sakura' festival, held in the spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. You get lots of food, go out and have a picnic in the cherry blossoms.

__

"…since before written language was inherited from China." - Almost all of Japan's writing, and as such, their written history, was inherited from the Chinese. Though Neolithic Japanese culture can be traced to 10,000 BC, the first written history didn't come around until 300 BC.

Kimonos with long sleeves are only worn by young, unmarried girls. The tight sash Izumi had on is an obi…It's tight and warm and actually rather comfortable, all things considered.

__

Kotatsu - A table with a heater under it and a blanket to keep in the heat. Commonly found in hot spring resorts and certain Japanese houses, they're usually much smaller.

Yes, I know that normally on New Year's people go to a shrine, not a picnic in the middle of the winter, but there's no Buddhist or Shinto shrine around Hogwarts, I'll tell you that.

__

Okonomiyaki - Sometimes called Japanese Pizza or Japanese Pancakes, they have nothing in common except that they are round and flat. They're made of flour, water, cabbage (and other veggies) some kind of meat (usually seafood) and a steak-sauce-like 'Okonomiyaki sauce.' _Konomi_ means 'like' and _yaki_ means 'fried', basically saying you can put the meats or veggies you like in it. 'Modan-yaki' and 'Tonpei-yaki' is some kind of flavor, I assume like pepperoni is to pizza…don't ask me what it means, I got it out of _RESRVoir CHRoNiCLE Tsubasa, _by the marvelous CLAMP.I also have no idea how common pizza is in England, but I tend to think of it as a very 'American' food.

__

Darumas - Small dolls that represent the founder of Buddhism, who was said to have mediated until his arms and legs fell off. Traditional sold on New Year's, you paint in one eye to make a wish, and the other when your wish comes true.

I just _had_ to have Kouichi place the charm there…I don't know why I wanted it to be him…I just had to.

Aiie…This author note is over a page long! Daaaaaaaaaaang…Well, I hope somebody got SOMETHING out of it…I love Japanese culture, and New Year's is a great opportunity, so I threw in a lot. Either way, this chapter turned out lame…dammit. See you next chapter. (If I ever get over the writer's block…)


	29. Nightmares

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GS: (in shock) This story has over 600 reviews. (more shock, stares blankly at screen)

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Midori: Oh boy. (climbs up to GS's ear) AUTHOR-LADY, WAKE UP!

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GS: Aaaah! (falls over) Ow…Midori-chan, you're mean!

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Midori: And you have review responses to do! Get with it!

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GS: Okay, okay…Responses to various random reviews:

1) No, I am not Japanese. I am Texan. Seriously, my family's records go back to a settlement near what-is-now Big Spring back when this was still a Spanish territory.

2) Pizza is not Italian. It is pseudo-Italian, created in America by someone who decided to call it Italian because he based it off some kind of cheesy bread dish. And yes, I have had pizza in other countries…Montreal, Canada. (It had snails on it) What I was wondering is how common pizza IS in England, and whether it's the same stuff we think off. I mean, when you say 'bacon' in England, you don't mean the little thin strips we eat, you mean really thick pieces of meat like slices of ham.

3) Heh heh…Yes, the line "There's no room for sloppiness when wearing kimono." is part of a tribute to _The Best Defense, _a Yu Yu Hakusho/Harry Potter crossover by JoIsBishMyoga. It's one of my favorite fics of all time, and my main inspiration for this one, not to mention half my cultural references. (She knows sooo much more than I do…I'm jealous.)

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

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Chapter 29: Nightmares

Harry slipped through the trees, the leaves crushing wordlessly beneath him, the wind whispering in his ear. It was night, and so, all was dark, and he was hidden against the ground. He lay flat and moved quickly, sliding easily through gaps he shouldn't have been able to fit through. He felt powerful, more powerful than anything he'd ever even thought of feeling before…

The trees around him were hardly a trifle, seeing as most of them were a good deal smaller around than he was, but he was very careful to disturb them as little as possible. No reason to give his prey warning that he was coming. Yes…his prey…he could smell them, taste them, hear their voices in a clearing just ahead of him.

"This has been going well, hasn't it?" a semi-deep voice whispered in the night. The taste he got from it was light and tart, but also strong enough that he almost recoiled in disgust of it.

"Indeed." said a second voice. "It seams the ones who would wish us harm has not the power to discover our intentions…at least, not yet." This speaker was dark, oh yes, very dark, he could feel it, he could taste it, but there was no acid in his darkness…simply pure, sweet darkness, dancing lightly across his tongue.

There was another scent, too, younger and stronger, so much like the darkness, oh so very much…but there was something different about it, something that set it apart from the other two. This figure, it smelled…it smelled…

It smelled _human_.

He had now reached where he could see the figures through the trees. The light came from a large, rabbit-like creature, hovering worriedly on one side of the tiny clearing. The darkness radiated from a lion-like figure at a three o'clock place from his view point, sitting on the ground with a tall staff in his hand. He seamed to be guarding a smaller figure, just in front of him…the second darkness, the human…he could almost see him, in some kind of a trace, a glowing object clutched in his small hands.

"It's so quiet…" the rabbit whispered. "It's hard to believe anything is happening, isn't it?"

"You, of all Digimon, should know not to trust the silence." the lion sounded half-jokingly. "After all, was that not…"

He cut off suddenly, his head snapping around. The rabbit tensed as the black-armored warrior abruptly stood. "What?" the light-creature asked. "What is it?"

"Something's here." the lion growled low in his throat, gripping his staff.

The rabbit turned his little black eyes this way and that nervously. "Are you certain? It's not one of the Floramon?"

"No…" the lion began advancing on the trees, slowly.

The boy stirred slightly, his trance-concentration broken. The light in his hands faded slightly as dark blue eyes looked up past blue-black hair, confused. "Lowemon? What is it?"

The lion turned back slightly to answer, leaving himself slightly vulnerable and open…

Harry suddenly lifted his head and lunged with all the force the huge, powerful body could muster, fangs bared at the lion. The warrior spun around at the last possible second and blocked, catching his fangs on the staff and holding him, barely inches away from being able to sink his fangs deep into that armored shoulder…

"Lowemon!" the human boy exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and dropping the purple-and-lilac object he'd been working with.

The lion continued to hold Harry in mid-attack. "Antylamon, get Kouichi out of here, now!"

The rabbit wasted no time in responding, grabbing the boy by the shoulders and flinging him backwards. For a moment, Harry caught a glimpse of the boy's face as he fell back…but he vanished in a burst of static as soon as he hit the ground.

His attention was immediately returned to the current battle, wrenching himself free of the staff and turning to sink his teeth into the now-vulnerable lion-warrior…

"Harry! _Harry!_"

Harry burst awake with a slight cry, only to find himself in bed, in the Gryffindor dorms, with Ron shaking him savagely by the shoulders and half of the other dormmates crowded around. Seamus had thrown a glass of water in his face, so now both his hair and his pillow were soaked through.

"Oi, about time, mate." Ron sighed, sinking back to sit on his own bunk. "Nearly gave us all heart attacks."

Harry blinked stupidly at the blurry shapes around him. "Wha…What happened?"

"You started yelling in your sleep." Neville muttered, wringing his hands. "And thrashing around, like you were angry at something…"

"Oh, and you nailed Minamoto." Dean thumbed towards the closed curtains across the room. "Kanbara slept through the whole thing, but Kouji there stormed off once your fist connected with his jaw."

"I'm…sorry?" Harry muttered blankly. He hadn't even had any limbs in his dream, why was he throwing punches…?

His _dream_.

What had it been about? He thought hard…couldn't come up with the details, but it seamed urgent…There were a few flashes off the top of his head, fading fast. A black lion-like warrior…a large rabbit? A young boy…And the lion had said…_"Get Kouichi out of here." _But that was impossible, Kouichi was in the Slytherin dorms, he knew he was.

"Harry? You okay, buddy?" Seamus asked.

Harry shook his head. "Yeah…yeah…I'm fine."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Harry didn't feel very good the next morning, but, as it wasn't bad enough to go to the hospital wing, he just had to deal with it. Besides, they'd been back in classes for two weeks now, and he had (as Hermione kept reminding him) a ton of homework to catch up on.

He wasn't the only 'zombie' in the Great Hall that morning, either. A few glances over at the Slytherin table and you could easily pick out Kouichi, nearly falling asleep on his plate. He got very close a few times, until Malfoy poked him with his wand to bring him back to attention.

Kouji noticed as well, as well as Takuya, and after breakfast was over they hurriedly pulled the Slytherin transfer off to one side. "Kouichi." the younger twin whispered urgently. "What's wrong? You look worse than usual."

"As in, you look like you got hit by a truck, which then backed up over you and did it again." Takuya piped. "Suffice it to say, you look like hell, buddy. What's up?"

Kouichi shook his head blurrily, closing his eyes for a moment before responding. "Last night…I tried bringing Izumi's D-Tector through the link…"

Kouji frowned as Takuya counted on his fingers. "…It's been over three weeks since Christmas." he reported, confused. "So what happened? Was it harder than usual?"

"No, it wasn't…" Kouichi shook his head. "But…half-way through…Something attacked us…"

"What!" Takuya exclaimed.

Kouji immediately began searching over his brother's arms and legs. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

"No…No I wasn't hurt." Kouichi muttered. He slid down the wall and sat down, closing his eyes again as he leaned his head back. "But…Lowemon…and Antylamon…I don't know if they're…"

"Don't think about it." Kouji soothed, knelling down to brush his brother's bangs back, so he could see his eyes better when he opened them. "I'm sure they're fine… They're strong, both of them. The one I'm worried about is you, Nii-san."

"I'm fine…really."

"No you're not." Takuya frowned. "You're exhausted, that's what you are. And what's more than that, you almost look sick. Maybe pulling out in the middle of a spell didn't go down so well."

Kouichi gave a muffled groan, leaning his head on his knees. "My head hurts…"

Kouji pressed a hand to his brother's forehead. "…You feel a bit warm. Maybe Takuya's right." he sighed. "I'll take you to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey can help."

"No…Kouji, I'm fine…It's just a headache…"

"Do it, or will both drag you up there." Takuya grinned.

Kouji slipped his arm under his brother's, hoisting him to his feet. "Easy does it…" he whispered softly, leading him up to the hospital. "Everything's gonna be okay."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Harry? Harry!"

The boy snapped out of his dull stupor with a slight jolt. "Huh?"

Hermione frowned at him. "We didn't come to the library just to stare out the window, Harry." she gestured with the large book open in front of her. "We're here to study."

"Yeah…Sorry." Harry shook his head slightly to wake up a bit, then turned back to lean over his book. However, his mind floated aimlessly back to his dream. He'd been in that position before…low to the ground…he must have been a snake. And those creatures, the blurry little he could remember of them…one of them had called to the other…he called them…

"Hermione." he spoke suddenly. "Have you ever heard of creatures called… Digimon?"

Hermione looked up from her book, perplexed. "No…can't say that I have." she blinked. "Why do you ask, Harry? We're not even reading for Care of Magical Creatures now…"

Ron leaned over, examining his friend's face. "This have anything to do with that dream last night, mate?"

"Dream?" Hermione straitened. "What kind of dream?"

"…I'm not sure." Harry mumbled slightly, and shrugged. "I don't remember all of it…But I remember that word. 'Digimon'. There were these…animals…who were talking about themselves that way…"

"Talking? As in, legibly?" Harry nodded, and Hermione shook her head. "Harry, if they can legibly and truthfully speak, they're not 'creatures'. They're 'beings'. It's right there in the classes from the Ministry, included in _Fantastic Beasts_…"

"'Mione, please." Ron groaned. "So Harry, these 'beings'…What were they like?"

"…Different. Very different." Harry closed his eyes, trying to remember. "One was a lot bigger than the other…brighter…The smaller one was…kind of dark…"

"A Death Eater?"

"No…" Harry shook his head. "More like…more like…" For a moment he searched for a term, then it sparked. "…Like Kimura. Dark…But not evil. Just dark."

For a moment, both Ron and Hermione stewed on this. "Do you think…" The girl started. "Do you think it has anything to do with the bird that appeared at the Quidditch match last semester?"

Harry nodded. "I think so…They seamed kind of the same, but not quite…Like different flavors of Every Flavor Beans."

Hermione suddenly stood and disappeared into the shelves, returning moments later with several large books. "Well then." she said briskly, lying them out on the table. "I guess we'll have to start looking, won't we?"

Harry and Ron sighed, but each took a book and began working their way through them for any sign of 'Digimon'.

**__**

TBC…


	30. Twas The Day Before Valentine's

Sorry for the irregular updates, but I have many things on my mind…various strange fic ideas, school, homework, theatre, not to mention my 'official' work…like my novel and other original works…and random movies, video games and so on…Forget writer's block, I have writer's distraction…(sigh) Thank you all for your gracious patience.

P.S. - I can't write Ginny. So sue me.

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Disclaimer: You all know I don't own Digimon. And do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?

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Chapter 30: Twas The Day After Valentine's…

Madam Pomfrey's 'prescription' turned out to be a large Cooling Crest potion and a day of bed rest, but it turned out to be just what Kouichi needed, and he was back on his feet the next day. Half a week later he produced the D-Tector he'd been interrupted with…Izumi's…along with a heartfelt report that Lowemon and Antylamon had managed to get away, the former now recovering from a large bite on his left shoulder, the only remains of the strange snake-like Digimon that had attacked them.

Two weeks later and a new buzz filled the school…namely, the red-and-white heart-filled buzz of Valentine's day, the coming Friday, and the day afterwards, a Hogsmeade weekend.

Which, of course, was the reason Takuya and Izumi waited outside the Gryffindor common room Wednesday evening and jumped Tomoki as the younger returned from dinner.

"H-Hey!" he gulped, being pushed into a small side-hall by the larger boy. "What's going on?"

"Oh, we know what's going on, Tomoki-kun." Izumi giggled. "Or should I say…Tohi?"

Tomoki flushed hotly, his cheeks turning beat red as Izumi giggled again. "Of course, Weasley-chan didn't figure it out, 'cause she's not used to Hiragana…"

"You translated it after you wrote it out, huh?" Takuya smirked. "Signed with your initials?"

Tomoki was now red as a tomato, but he nodded dumbly. Takuya grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Relax, buddy. We're not gonna blow the whistle on you or anything…"

"We just want to make sure your first crush turns out well." Izumi chimed in, circling the smaller boy with a bright smile. "And I do have to admit, Weasley-chan is absolutely adorable…" She clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. "You'll make such a cute couple."

Tomoki shifted his weight nervously, mumbling. Takuya smiled just a bit, leaning down to his friend's level. "Look, you like this girl, don't you."

"Y-Yes…"

"And you'd feel really bad if you went through the year, got home and never saw her again without telling her, wouldn't you?" Tomoki whimpered another affirmative. "Then you _need_ to tell her."

"And Valentine's is the perfect time to do it!" Izumi grinned brightly. "After all, no White Day in the west. You gotta grab your chances by the horns!"

Tomoki blinked up at them, profoundly confused. "But…But what can I…?"

"Use this." Izumi pushed some sort of parchment into his hands. It was a clipping from the Daily prophet, an advertisement for Honeydukes. "It's a Valentine's special. Not to mention there's a cute little ice cream shop I found with a friend of mine…"

"But…this is almost filled out…"

"And half-paid for." Izumi grinned.

"Just trust us, Tomoki." Takuya smiled. "We'll make sure you have a great time…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The days slipped by quickly, and quite soon it was Saturday afternoon. As per usual on Hogsmeade weekends, the third-through-seventh years tromped down the hill in groups ranging from semi-organized to completely random.

Not so commonly, given the day, they were also separated into several dozen various couples, heading of for a romantic afternoon. Though it was true that many girls, particularly those such as Ginny Weasley, were almost completely surrounded by members of her same gender (including, but not limited to, Luna Lovegood and one Hermione Granger…) who were chattering wildly about affairs of the heart…namely the mysteriously-signed box of chocolates that had been delivered to her the morning before, with a request to meet at the ice cream shop of Hogsmeade.

Of course, hovering several feet away from this bunch was one Ronald Weasley, slightly red in the face and only a few degrees away from steam boiling out of his ears. He was accompanied by certain best friends, although only one was really paying attention to what he mumbled.

Harry was trying very hard not to laugh, the look on Ron's face was astounding. True, it'd been painfully obvious that his friend was jealously overprotective of his sister, but it never ceased to be entertaining, especially when he didn't even know who the admirer was.

"I'm telling you, Harry, if that guy tries one thing…"

Hermione suddenly appeared next to him, a smug grin on her lips. "Oh, Ron, you're really a bother, do you know that?" she sighed. "You should be happy that someone has enough respect for your sister to bring up the courage to ask her, even if it wasn't in person…"

"Respect? Who says he had any respect?" Ron fumed.

Hermione turned back slightly as they entered the town, giving him a smug smile. "Well for one, he's been very shy these past few weeks, sending her small gifts and little tokens of his affection…"

"Sounds like he's scared." Ron grumbled.

Hermione eyed him coolly. "Do you remember looking for a date to the Yule Ball?"

The redhead faltered a moment, then flushed a deep red. Harry held back an involuntary shudder…searching for a date had been one of the least-pleasant experiences in his life, including all his life-or-death battles. Of course, he knew Hermione had brought up the point for another reason…Ron hadn't even had the nerve to find his own date, Harry had to arrange it for them both.

"Okay…Fine. He's pretty bold." Ron hissed through his teeth. "But that still doesn't mean…"

"Oh, give it a rest, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes. She turned back to give Ginny some last-minute good lucks (the girl didn't need any advice), though Harry thought he heard her say, "At least he picked someplace nice and not that gaudy Madam Puddifoot's shop…"

Ron sighed. "…Women." he groaned, turning his eyes skyward, and headed to the Three Broomsticks for a good drink.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The ice cream shop was a very pleasant place, colored mostly in pastels that matched the gleaming colors of fresh ice cream in every flavor you could imagine and more. It was a small, welcoming place, but just large enough that someone could sit and spy on another table without being too apparent.

It was at one of these tables that Takuya and Izumi had positioned themselves, just close enough to be able to keep an eye on Tomoki, waiting nervously for his date to show up. Kouji, Kouichi and Junpei were at a table just behind them, partially for extra insurance, but mostly because they were distinctly entertained by all this.

Kouji did note, however, mere seconds after Ginny appeared at the door and was directed to Tomoki's table, that her older brother appeared, closely tailed by Potter and Granger, who both looked more amused than anything else. He casually pointed them out to Takuya with the air of 'watch him or something might happen.' The brunet got the drift.

"Tomoki?" the redhead blinked slightly in surprise, then smiled. "I should've known…It even sounds like your name."

Tomoki shifted anxiously. "Y-You look n-nice, Ginny."

"Thanks." she smiled at him, batting her eyelashes fetchingly as she sat down. A hot blush rose into Tomoki's cheeks, so bad he was hardly able to order for them and pay for the sundaes when they came.

"I think it's going well." Izumi giggled to Takuya.

"They do seam to be getting along…" Takuya nodded, sipping a bit of the milkshake he'd ordered to make the waitress stop glaring at them.

Kouichi smiled just a little, but then a concerned look passed across his face. He turned his he slightly towards the front of the store, frowning.

Kouji glanced over at him. "What's up?"

"I don't know…" Kouichi turned back with a shrug. "I thought I heard something…"

There was suddenly something like a high-pitched shriek that echoed from the outside. Junpei snapped his head up with most of the other patrons. "Okay, I heard _that_…"

Before anyone could even open their mouths to wonder what had made the racket, something large and round and yellow came crashing through the glass window-front of the store. With another animal-like shriek, it leapt up to reveal itself as _very_ animal-like…ape-like, to be exact.

"Apemon?" Takuya gasped, starting to stand. The Digimon suddenly let out another shriek and swung with its heavy bone-shaped boomerang, turning several sets of tables and chairs into decorative scrap metal, as their patrons rushed screaming to the exit. It was right about now that the levels of mastery in Defense Against the Dark Arts came to the surface, as most of the Hogwarts students turned tail and ran without even reaching for their wands. A few, however, had wands in hand and were on their feet in an instant.

Takuya reached into his robe, but not for his wand. Izumi grabbed his arm. "We can't Digivolve here!" she shushed.

"Then what're we supposed to do!" he hissed back urgently. "We can't just leave it here, it's gonna hurt somebody!"

As though responding to his worries, Apemon suddenly spun on one of the standing, a certain redhead.

"Back off, creep!" Ginny growled, sounding relatively like an angry cat, pointing her wand at its chest. "_Immobulus!_"

The invisible spell that flew from her wand bent air just enough to watch it bounce harmlessly off the Digimon with no more effect than getting him even angrier. He raised his bone-club high, aiming for her head.

"Ginny, move!" Tomoki gasped, tackling her to the floor as two more voices rang out.

"_Incendio!"_

"_Stupefy!"_

Ron's flames and Harry's red sparks merged instantly and crashed into Apemon. It knocked him back a bit, singeing his fur slightly and enraging him ever more. He roared and crashed his club through the nearest wall.

"Ginny, get out of there!" Ron shouted.

Unseen to them, Kouichi gritted his teeth. "He should've disappeared by now."

"We have to get that thing out of town." Kouji growled slightly.

"Oh yeah? And how do we do that!" Junpei insisted, mere moments from panicking.

Kouji glanced at Izumi, crouching where she and Takuya were taking cover behind their overturned table. "Izumi, Kazemon's faster than the rest of us. Can you…"

"I'm on it!" Izumi snapped, suddenly scrambling from out of her crouch and behind the now-abandoned counter. Seconds later, with a rush of wind and data, Kazemon suddenly burst out.

"What the…ANOTHER ONE?" Ron exclaimed, leaping back as Harry and Hermione raised their wands again.

Kazemon didn't give them a chance, immediately lunging for Apemon and grabbing him under the arms. "Up and away, big boy!" she chirped, lifting the fighting form off his feet and spiriting him out of the shop.

"Takuya, let's go." Kouji muttered, standing.

"Right." Takuya nodded, jumping to his feet and racing out the back door.

"HEY!" Junpei exclaimed. "What're we supposed to do?"

"You guys take care of things here." Kouji snapped. "And whatever you do, DON'T tell them what it was."

"You think I'm stupid?" Kouji looked tempted to answer that, but hurried after Takuya instead. Junpei turned and stared at Kouichi, who simply shrugged it off and hurried to help Tomoki…

****

"Ginny! Ginny, are you all right!" Ron exclaimed, leaping over the tables and other rubble to reach his sister, Harry and Hermione on his heels.

The two younger students were crouched on the floor behind their table, Tomoki raised up on his knees to cover Ginny from the rubble. Kouichi reached them before Ron did, putting a soft hand on Tomoki's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…Yeah, I think so." Tomoki sighed as the two of them uncurled from their protective position.

"Ginny!" Ron slid to a stop, gasping down at his sister. "Ginny, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ron." the girl sighed softly, then turned to look up at Tomoki in a kind of awed bewilderment. "Tomoki, you…saved me."

"Oh no…" Tomoki blushed. "I just…that is, I mean…"

Ginny's face spread into a cute smile. She leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thanks."

Tomoki turned red, as did Ron, but for different reasons. Harry and Kouichi gave him a small Look, then each gently pushed a shoulder to knock the over-protective older brother over a fallen chair.

Hermione, on the other hand, had other things on her mind, staring out through the broken windows at the specks that used to be Kazemon and Apemon. Her brow was furled with confusion. "What are those things?"

Harry straightened with another frown. "I say we follow them and find out."

"No!" Kouichi, Tomoki and Junpei exclaimed at the same time getting some very strange looks from the others.

"Uh…that is…" Tomoki gulped.

"It's too dangerous." Kouichi whispered.

"Yeah, you don't what those things are capable of!" Junpei insisted.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Do you guys…know something we don't?"

"Come on, Granger, that's not it!" Junpei insisted, bristling defensively. "But you saw what happened! Spells bounce right off it! Whatever it is, magic isn't going to work!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed once more, but nothing more was said. The remaining transfers breathed a sigh of relief at that.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_"Execute, Spirit Evolution!"_

There was a rush of blue data and flashes of light through the trees outside of Hogsmeade. To Kazemon, soaring over them with a raging Apemon, this was a most welcome sight. She let the ape-like Digimon fall, into the grasp of Agunimon and Lobomon.

"If he's not leaving, we'll have to get rid of him, huh?" Agunimon growled.

"That's about it." Lobomon muttered, extending the beam of light that served as his sword. "Lobo Kendo!"

Apemon leapt back, kicking off one of the tree. He growled…Kouji began to suspect his vocal cords had been damaged…and through the club at him. Kazemon sudden appeared behind the creature. "Tempest Twist!"

On of her legs connected with his head, knocking him to the floor. He growled again, starting to pull himself up, then Agunimon stepped forward. "Pyro Tornado!"

His blows of flame through the beast-Digimon back. With one last strike from Lobomon's sword and a loud, unearthly shriek, Apemon disappeared in a flash of data.

The three Legendary Warriors DeDigivolved into their normal, human forms, each tired and out of breath. Izumi put a hand to her heart and took a very deep breath. "So much for a quiet Valentine's…"

Kouji sighed, shaking his head. "Come on…" he muttered, nodding back towards the village. "We better get outta here, before someone comes looking for monsters."

With that, the group wandered back into town.

**__**

TBC…

My chapter endings always suck. Always always always. Anyway…I hope you like the chapter besides the stupid ending. I think we only have another chapter or two before the 'finale' starts…But I'm not gonna spoil that! (Although your ideas are always very entertaining, so guess away!) Oh, and what'd you think of the Ginny/Tomoki couple? I got the random idea and it just kinda…fit. See you next time!


	31. Spring Break

There are two reasons this took so long..1) This was possibly the most painful chapter I've ever tried to force out, and 2) I FINALLY finished _Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories_, which means I can now play the second half of the story, _Reverse/Rebirth_ as my favorite character, the dark cutie Riku! Naturally enough, that takes up a good chunk of my time…

**_Disclaimer: _**You all know I don't own Digimon. And do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?

****

Chapter 31: Spring Break

Naturally enough, the entire school was abuzz with the news of strange, animal-like creatures appearing in Hogsmeade for at least a week after the incident in question had passed. Even the teachers seamed disturbed, finding themselves in many hesitant meetings in the corridors, shooting angry glares and detention threats at any student unfortunate enough to pass their way. Of course, no one was as curious as Miss Hermione Granger, who promptly attacked the library, with Ron and Harry in tow most of the way, and was very frustrated when they didn't find a thing.

The transfers, on the other hand, knew exactly why she couldn't find anything and were quite happy about it, and the following Saturday they took the recovery of the fifth D-Tector…Tomoki's…as a perfect opportunity to compare notes on the subject.

"I just don't get it." Izumi muttered, taking one of the Pumpkin Pastries Takuya had brought up from the kitchens. "The Biyomon only showed up for a couple of minutes. Why didn't Apemon disappear, too? What does it all mean?"

Kouji took a swig of Butterbeer, leaning back against the wall of the little alcove. "It means Konton-sama is getting more powerful. He's able to pull a Digimon completely into this world."

"Not completely." Kouichi sounded soft and tired, half-muffling a yawn as he leaned against his brother for support. "Apemon…wasn't as strong as he should have been. The transition…must have messed up his initial…programming."

"He's right." Takuya nodded. "Apemon's voice was messed up, too. He couldn't talk."

Junpei frowned slightly, finishing off his Pastry. "That's not the point." he muttered. "What if he brings more? And something stronger, like an ultimate or something? We don't even know if the Beast Spirits work in this world!"

"There's nothing else we can do…is there?" Tomoki asked hesitantly.

"We just have to keep trying." Takuya insisted, slamming his fist into the other hand. "We've always made it work before, and we can do it this time, too! Kegareru or not!"

Kouichi nodded slightly, smiling, then let his head drop sleepily onto Kouji's shoulder. The younger twin frowned at him. "I told you to go back to bed."

"I'm…fine…" the other boy muttered groggily, rubbing his eye and trying to sit up.

"Kouji's right, you're too tired." Tomoki piped, standing up. "Come on, we'll all help you. It'll be a nice chance just to, you know, talk."

The others added in their agreements until the group finally stood, making their way down the halls towards the staircases. As they entered the main hall of the second floor, Izumi stopped suddenly and looked out an open window with a sigh.

Takuya turned back. "What's up, Izumi?"

"Oh…it's really nothing." she sighed slightly, shaking her head. "But you know… It'll be Spring Break in a few weeks."

"Yeah. So?" Kouji prompted, glancing at her slightly as he tried to support Kouichi by the arm.

"Well…That means the year's almost over." Izumi shook her head. "And we'll go home like nothing ever happened, but we never even got a chance to see London…"

"Yeah we did." Junpei shrugged nonchalantly. "We went all around Diagon Alley…"

"That's not what I mean!" Izumi insisted. "I mean _real_ London, _Muggle_ London! We completely missed it on the way in, and I know we're not going to want to waste time on the way home." she sighed again. "I guess I'm just…a bit sad that we skipped over that. London is supposed to be amazing…"

"Well now." A thin hand with hot pink nails suddenly descended to pat the blonde on the shoulder, a few locks of brown-streaked-green hair falling past the robed arm. "I think I can do somethin' about that."

The six jumped a foot, staring up into crystal blue eyes. "Professor Tonks!" Izumi exclaimed slightly. "W-Wh-What do you mean?"

A wide grin spread across Tonk's face. "I think I can work somethin' out with the Headmaster to let you lot come along with me durin' Spring Break." she winked. "O' course, I'm stayin' with the Weasleys for most o' the week, but I'm sure we can talk Ol' Molly into a trip into London…"

"Oh no, we couldn't!" Takuya insisted, waving his hands slightly in front of him as the rest of the group exchanged panicked looks.

"We don't want to impose." Izumi flushed hotly, now wishing she'd never mentioned it.

"Nonsense, nonsense." Tonks laughed heartily, patting each of them on the shoulder as she went past. "Don't you worry, I'll get it all worked out…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Draco Malfoy was in a very, very bad mood.

He usually was, after a trip home for the hols. It would never do for a _Malfoy_ to be seen around _Muggles_, heaven forbid, but the resulting exertion of avoiding them made him _almost_ wish he could…First those god-forsaken carriages down from the castle to Hogsmeade Station, then a several-hour-long train back to King's Cross, and from there a Floo Powder trip to a wizarding pub in Glasgow. (It would, of course, never do for a Malfoy home to be connected to a _common_ Floo network, never knowing who would drop in…) From there his father, quite naturally, sent a carriage up to fetch him for another hour-long ride to the mansion.

The mansion itself was more of a palace, an ancient castle that had been in the Malfoy line since the early 11th Century. Armed with every anti-Muggle device known to wizard kind…Unplottable, various powerful wards, not to mention the occasional team of well-trained Crups…the inside was as grand and glamorous as the ancient past filling its many tapestries.

But, currently, its reigning heir was storming through the main hall with a glare to kill angels, way beyond annoyed with his trip home and desperately wanting a hot bath and his Apparation license. He was not at all happy when, just moments before retreating to his private chambers to get a good head start on the first, a house elf suddenly materialized in front of him with the expression of one on an unwelcome mission.

"What is it?" he snapped fiercely.

The house elf trembled back slightly, shaking ferociously at the blonde's rage. "B-B-Binkses apologizes, young master." he stuttered. "B-But the Lord-Master has ordered Binkses to tell young master to report to the west sitting room as soon as he arrives."

Draco scowled. "And my father told you to say this, did he?"

"N-Not just young master's father, sir." whispered the trembling elf. "H-_He_ has ordered it as well, sir."

The stressed pronoun struck a particular cord in Draco's mind, instantly summoning up the image of ferocious snakes, deadly spells and the hidden screams of tortured victims…

_Damn_.

"Fine." Draco snapped, turning on his heels and storming towards the West Wing. "But there better be a hot bath with an even hotter cup of tea ready for me when I get back, or so help me I'll have your head!"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"And you didn't bother tell us this…_why_?"

Ron's incredulous question was directed at Tonks, sitting in the front seat of the muggle taxi heading quickly from London en route to the Burrow. They'd been jammed in the back of the cab for an hour now…'They' being Ron, Harry, Takuya, Kouji and Kouichi. Hermione, Izumi, Tomoki and Ginny were in the other car, with Junpei up front. Current topic of conversation: the fact that Tonks had neglected to tell the British-born wizards they were having outside company…

Said teacher leaned back in her chair to smirk at them with bubblegum pink hair falling into green eyes. "Ah, Ronniekins, the information was strictly on a need-to-know basis. And now you know."

Harry and Ron turned their eyes to the transfers squished in with them. Takuya immediately raised his hands in defense. "Hey, it was not our idea."

No more was said between them as the taxis pulled up the winding dirt road in front of the Burrow. They were far more distracted by trying to pull themselves free of each other and get out of the car.

Ron looked a bit nervous as the taxis rumbled off and the transfers gazed up at the Weasley home. Harry knew how touchy he was about his family's…economic…status, and was probably worried of what they would think.

"Woah…" Izumi whispered in awe. "You live _here_?"

"Um…Yeah." Ron shifted a bit. "What? Is that a problem?"

"Are you kidding!" Junpei exclaimed. "Talk about cool! I've never seen anything like _that_ before!"

Ron blinked in surprise. "You...haven't?"

"We're not allowed to have any purely-magical buildings back home." Takuya nodded, grinning slightly. "Can you imagine how the Public Health Committee would react?"

Ron smirked, content, turning towards the front door. "Well then…come on in." He said brightly. "It's about time you lot met our mum…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The west-wing sitting room could more appropriately be called the Malfoy Family Library, as it was a huge room containing hundreds of thousands of wizarding books collected down through the centuries since before th dark ages. It was very well-lit, full of straight-back chairs and tables for leisurely reading accompanied by a spot of tea.

Today, it also contained a very large, very _dangerous_ snake, coiled on the rug not far from either the fire or the chair of her master. Draco had to suppress a shudder at the sight of the tall, pale, almost inhuman creature perched in his father's favorite chair.

But he knew his place, and what would happen if he didn't stay in it. He entered the room, crossing in front of the armchair and bowing low to its occupant. "My Lord."

"Ah…Draco." the hissing voice echoed from the snake-like tongue. "I trust your journey home was good?"

"As good as it ever gets." The blonde recited his lines perfectly.

The monster known to the world as Lord Voldemort smirked, motioning to the chair in front of him. Draco sat down very gingerly and kept his back as perfectly straight as he possibly could.

"Tea?"

Draco shook his head. The Dark Lord grinned icily and poured him a cup anyway, which he accepted. For a moment there was an uneasy silence as Draco waited to be addressed.

Finally, Voldemort set down his cup and looked at him. "Now, Draco." he hissed frostily. "I would like to know about the transfer students that have been enrolled in Hogwarts. They may soon be of use to me."

Of course. He wanted information, information he couldn't get hiding in the shadows…

"There are six of them. Five boys and one girl." Draco rattled off coolly. "One of the boys is a fourth-year, another a seventh. The rest are all sixth years."

"And their houses?"

"The fourth-year and two others are Gryffindors." Draco made a bit of a face, but continued. "The girl was placed in Ravenclaw, and the older boy in Hufflepuff. The last one is a Slytherin."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow with a disturbingly amused smile. "I see." he chuckled softly. "And what of this…Slytherin transfer? Have you gotten to know him?"

"We are…acquainted." Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Dormmates, study partners…not much else."

"I see." Voldemort repeated softly. "And tell me, Draco, has there been any sort of…unusual…occurrence at school lately?"

Draco raised an eyebrow himself, unsure of what he meant. "Unusual, my Lord?"

Before Voldemort could reiterate, the door leading down into the 'basement' suddenly burst open. "My Lord!" exclaimed the man who rushed in. "We've had a…complication."

"Hold on a moment, Draco." the snake-figure whispered icily, then snapped his blood-red eyes to the man. "What _is_ it, Erskine?"

The tall, thin man shuddered in fear, but straightened to give out his report. "My Lord, I regret to inform you that our connection into the 'Digital World' complex has been interrupted to the brink of being severed. Th-The last Digimon transfer that was made as disrupted the sever…"

_Digimon_? The name echoed, almost familiarly, in Draco's mind. He didn't have a lot of time to think about it, though, as Voldemort suddenly stood.

"You would interrupt me…" he growled, pulling his wand from the depths of his cloak. "In the middle of conversing with a very reliable source of information to report that you have _failed me_?"

Erskine shrank back, stuttering frantic apologies and staring in horror at the wand pointed at him. He was only saved at that moment by another voice from the basement door.

"There is more to the story, Great Lord." whispered Lucius Malfoy as he came up behind his fellow Death Eater. "It appears that there is an…interference."

Voldemort put away his wand, turning cold eyes to the blonde man. "What sort of 'interference'?"

"Someone…or something…else is creating a connection to the Digital World." Lucius lectured humbly, keeping his cool even though he refused to look Lord Voldemort in the eye. "We cannot trace the location of this connection, but it must be somewhere within the European area to tamper with our connection so much."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

"Yes, my Lord." nodded Lucius. "This can only mean that someone other than the Japanese must know about the 'Digimon' project…"

A slight smile wormed its way onto Voldemort's thin lips. "Or perhaps it is the Japanese themselves tapping in…" he turned back to the boy in the armchair. "Draco? Would you like to share your thoughts?"

Draco faltered the sudden proclamation as three sets of adult eyes focused on him. Voldemort smiled again in his same, disturbing manner. "Come now, Draco. I know you have some sort of idea as to what could be going on…"

Draco gulped, shifted and finally spoke. "The…The Slytherin Transfer…His name's Kimura…He's been…Talking in his sleep."

"…And?" Erskine prompted, annoyed, but shut up with a glare from Lucius.

"He talks about some…very strange things." Draco felt sick. Why did he feel like he shouldn't be telling them this? "And he's mentioned those…things…you keep talking about…Digimon."

Voldemort's grin widened, making his thin face stretch. "Well then…" he chuckled softly. "We'll just have to send Mr. Kimura an…invitation."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Izumi was right about one thing: Muggle London could be _amazing_.

Thursday was the day designated for the transfer's tour of London, lead by 'Professor' Tonks herself as Hermione poured over the guidebooks to point out places of both Muggle and Wizard importance…The Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Saint Paul's Cathedral, and others. Harry was actually quite interested…he'd never really had a chance to see Muggle London…but Ron was bored out of his wits until the ghost of an ancient actor walked through him in the Globe Theatre.

"Lighten up, Weasley-kun." Takuya grinned, leaning back on his hand. "You know how it is, Muggles don't see the ghosts like we do. It's only natural for them to want to talk to somebody…"

"Of course it helps to notice them coming." Kouji muttered simply.

Ron bristled slightly. "Oh, shut up, both you."

The transfers just grinned at each other behind his back. Harry had to smile…Ron had also suffered a range of embarrassments prior to their trip, as he turned red every time he saw Tomoki anywhere near Ginny, and neither Takuya and Izumi were going to stand for that kind of behavior against their 'little brother'.

Tonks, on the other hand, was quite enjoying it. "It was a good preview, that ghost." she said brightly. "Our next stop'll have tons of 'em. You've heard of the Tower of London, right, gents?"

There were a few mumbled agreements. Tonks tossed blonde hair over her shoulder with a wide grin. "Okay, 'Mione, care to give the boys a bit of extra information?"

There was no response. The teacher slid down her sunglasses, blinking back at the group. "Hermione?"

Tomoki turned back slightly and stopped. "Um, guys…Where's Granger?" he asked dumbly. "And…Izumi? And Kouichi?"

The group stopped dead and made a quick head count, finding that, indeed, they were three heads short. Kouji, for one, paled rather quickly. "But…But where…"

"Mm…They must've gotten lost." Tonks muttered out loud, looking concerned for a moment. Then she smiled. "Then I suppose we should keep going…"

"WHAT?" snapped Takuya, Ron and Kouji at the same time.

"…Hermione knows exactly where we're going." Tonks finished simply. "She'll get Orimoto-chan and Kimura-san there in no time. We just have to wait for them once we get there."

"But…"

"Oh, relax, Minamoto-san." Tonks grinned, turning to find a bus stop. "How much trouble could they get into?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Izumi asked, blinking at the map over Hermione's shoulder.

"We're not in trouble." Hermione sighed.

"…We're lost, aren't we?"

"Er…Yeah. We're lost."

The three sighed as Hermione let the map lower limply in her hands. She was now greatly regretting ever going to talk to that Victorian wizard-actor that had called her over in the Globe. She was regretting that Izumi had come with out of interest in the old stories the man had told them. She was regretting that Kouichi had noticed them and hung back to wait, not realizing that the rest of their group had gone on without them. And she was really regretting only having 4 pounds and a four-year-old map in their possession in the way of muggle resources.

Kouichi sighed, shaking his head slightly as though trying to get rid of a nervous headache. "…Maybe we should ask for directions."

"That's a good idea." Hermione pointed at a small building across the street. A pub. "I bet somebody in there will know the way."

They entered the pub and quickly decided to split up to find someone who wasn't drunk. Unfortunately, there were quite a few people who were more than a little impaired (it was about five PM) and that lead to a few…unwelcome…comments.

Kouichi, being male, had it just a bit easier, so he maneuvered himself to the back of the room and looked up at the man working the bar. "Excuse me, sir."

The man looked up. "You're a little young to be wanting a drink, ain'tcha?"

"I-I don't." Kouichi stuttered slightly. "B-But my friends and I are lost…We need directions to the Tower of London."

"Oh, I see." the man smiled behind his big black beard. "Just hang on a sec, I know just the fella to ask."

"Thank you very much." Kouichi bowed from reflex more than anything else. The man waved him a 'you're welcome' and slipped into the back. The boy stood by the bar and waited patiently, humming a Yoko Kanno song to get his mind off the crowd he didn't want to be in.

A tall, burly man gave him a sour look over a very large drink and stood. "Hey, kid." he growled.

Kouichi turned slightly, a bit surprised at being addressed. "Um…Yes?"

"You're not from around here, 're you?" the man growled softly. "Yer accent's diff'rent. And yer looks…"

"I-I'm a…transfer student." Kouichi gulped slightly and backed up, not liking the tone of the man's voice. "F-From Tokyo…"

"Yer a Jap!" the man snarled, grabbing him by a collar. "You got a lotta nerve, talkin' back ter me…"

With one thrust of his arm he'd hoisted the boy off of his feet and into the air, dangling a few inches from the floor. Kouichi cried out in shock, his hands going to try to wrench the huge hand away from his throat.

"Kouichi-kun!" Izumi shouted, pushing her way through the crowd with Hermione on her heels. "Put him down!"

The man's eyes turned to her. "You want some too!"

"Please, he wasn't doing anything." Hermione begged, instinctively reaching for her wand. "We're just looking for directions…"

"Damn Japs…" The man growled, lost in a drunken stupor and turning his eyes back to the scared boy in his grip. "Yer lot lost me two years'a my life in a stinkin'…"

"Callahan, put the boy down!" The bearded man appeared and grabbed the hand holding Kouichi in the air. "He hasn't done anything, to you or anyone else! Now put him _down_."

He and two other men managed to pry the drunk's hand away from the boy. Kouichi gasped slightly when he was freed, dropping to the ground ungracefully. They lead the ranting drunk into the back as fast as humanly possible.

Izumi turned to her friend worriedly. "Kouichi-kun, are you okay?"

Kouichi groaned and rubbed his neck painfully. "Yeah…I'm fine."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." A hand suddenly came down on his shoulder. He looked up to find the bearded man shaking his head sadly. "I'm really sorry, kid. Callahan's a war vet…Got sent to a P.O.W. camp for two years during the Burma campaign. Things like that can mess with a person, you know?"

"Yeah…I guess." Kouichi groaned slightly.

"Anyway…Here ya go." the man handed Kouichi a new map and a five-pound note. "Take the double-decker on that schedule and it should get you right to the front gates. Don't worry 'bout paying me back, you don't look like you've got a lot of cash on yeh."

"Thank you so much." Izumi bowed low, folding her hands in front of her.

"No problem." the man smiled. "Now you better get out of here, before Callahan comes back."

They were out the door before he finished his sentence.

**__**

TBC…

From what I've figured, it's perfectly okay for a few teenagers to go into a pub in England, as long as they don't order anything too strongly alcoholic. That's just how I've gotten it…


	32. Ambush

Okay, sorry about cutting it short suddenly last chapter…It was the only way I could figure out how to end it. Besides, we kinda need to cut to the quick here, or this chapter will never happen. And do you know how hard it is to type with one hand? Sorry, something random there…

**__**

Disclaimer: You all know I don't own Digimon. And do I look like J.K. Rowling to you?

****

Chapter 32: Ambush

Back at school. Yawn.

It was their first Saturday back, a slightly dull spring afternoon with a warm rain pouring down outside the windows of an unused classroom now housing two sixth-year Slytherin boys, one with dark hair, the other with pale blonde. There was a small, pewter cauldron hanging in the fireplace, but it was currently unused as the tutoring turned to charms and wand movements.

"That's it, a circular motion before the flick." Kimura was saying warmly, showing him the motion again. "One, two, three, and…"

"…_Impedimenta_." Draco muttered, slightly distracted. The spell wavered a moment, then shot out, hitting its mark dead-on.

Draco sighed, barely registering Kimura's warm assurances of his improved skill. He was thinking about his orders, straight from the Dark Lord himself…Not to mention the punishment that would be waiting for him if he didn't do as ordered…

"…really getting so much better, Malfoy-kun." Kimura smiled warmly, turning his head slightly when the blonde didn't respond. "…Malfoy-kun? Is something wrong?"

Draco shook himself. "Of course not. What makes you think that?"

"Oh…Nothing." the dark-haired boy dropped his eyes down humbly. He shrugged and started to clean up the slight mess that had been made.

Draco growled a little to himself, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. He was being ridiculous, this was so stupid. Bloody hell, he was a Malfoy, not some sentimental Gryffindor dumbarse…

Kouichi packed the last few things away in his bag. "It's almost for dinner. We better go clean up, okay?"

It's now or never…

"Hey, Kimura."

"Yes?" The dark-haired boy turned back slightly at the door, blinking.

"You know…there's a Hogsmeade weekend next week." Draco slid into his standard cordially-charming disposition. "There's something I've been wanting to show you. You might find it very…interesting."

For a moment Kimura looked a bit confused. Then he smiled again, very warmly. "I'd like that."

Draco forced a smirk of his own. "Good."

'Friends'…are for the weak…

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji leaned back on his bed with a sigh, trying to clear his mind. Lazy, boring Sunday afternoons were never really his thing. He tried rather hard not to show it, but there were days when he had almost as much pent-up energy as Takuya, especially during the laze-around-the-barn kind of times.

Not that he was going to admit that to anybody, even if it was a bright and sunny spring day outside, even if the grass had finally returned to its lush green, even if dozens of couples (including Tomoki and Weasley-chan) were out enjoying the sunshine, even if half the Quidditch team was out on the field sparing with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, cuing plenty of opportunities to get Junpei and Takuya in some rather amusing situations, with or without Izumi in the equation. But he fought it down. Takuya was the troublemaker, not him. He was fine just where he was…

Speaking of which…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his mind completely before stretching out to feel the edge of his connection with Kouichi. The elder twin was sleeping in yet again, having only this morning produced the last of the D-Tectors (Junpei's) early this morning. It had been six hours, it seamed only appropriate to check up on him…

"Kouichi. Are you okay?"

A low groan echoed in his mind, that of one barely conscious. He got the feeling of burying his head under a heavy pile of pillows before the tired voice of his brother come back. _"Fine…Fine…"_

There was a slightly muffled yawn, as his brother stretched slightly and tried to blurrily regain enough consciousness to carry on a half-way decent mental conversation. He was struggling…that was too easy to tell.

Kouji frowned slightly. _"Nii-chan…You still sound so tired. What's wrong?"_

_"Nothin'…"_ Kouichi thoughts were muffled over slightly in exhaustion. _"I'm just…tired…that's all. Just sleepy…"_

Kouji sighed, shaking his head a bit. _"Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."_

_"You're not bothering me."_ Kouichi's smile flashed in front of his eyes. _"I don't mind…talking…"_

Kouji had to smile, if only just a little. _"Never mind. Just get better…I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Draco lead the way across the newly-fresh grass just outside the borders of Hogsmeade. Kouichi noticed that he seamed…either excited or nervous, but he was fighting to keep himself neutral, so it was hard to tell.

They stopped at the very outskirts of town, outside a large, run-down, creaky looking old washed-up mansion. The Shrieking Shack.

Kouichi hesitated a moment, getting an odd tingling sensation on the back of his neck. It was probably nerves, he reasoned. Nothing to worry about, there was no way the rumors were real. Besides, it had to be safe, otherwise Draco-kun wouldn't have come here so often…

The blonde boy opened the front door, motioning the other inside. Kouichi nodded and entered, waiting until Draco had followed to look around. The old front hall was in serious disrepair, full of cobwebs and spiders and lord knows what else, given old wizarding houses.

"Woah." Kouichi whispered, his voice echoing slightly and disturbing a little dust with his breath.

A slight glance out of the corner of his eye noticed Draco looking rather nervous. He was just about to ask what was wrong when the blonde's calm mask slipped back on and he opened another door.

"In here." he muttered shortly. "It's in here…"

Kouichi smiled at the blonde and took the initiative. This room seamed to be full of arm chairs, it was in the center of the house so there were no windows, and without lamps it was really rather dark. He had to hold out his hands to keep from running into things.

"Draco-kun…I can't see anything…"

There was no response. Kouichi glanced back, only to find the door shut behind him and the room empty. A chill ran up his spine suddenly, moving to grip the door knob. "D-Draco-kun?"

He grabbed the knob and tried to turn it, only to jump a foot as a cold voice laughed behind him. "It won't open. Locked up tight."

Kouichi spun around. The room was now full of half a dozen full-grown wizards, all wearing long black robes and white masks. Flashes of newspaper articles filled his mine and his breath caught in his throat.

Kegareru…Death Eaters.

The one who had spoken before laughed again, softly, and lifted off his mask, revealing a long, pale face with scraggily blonde hair hanging down past his shoulders. "No reason to bristle like that, dear boy…" he whispered, voice lined with fake-syrupy-sweetness. "We're only interested in a little…business offer."

The look in his eye…This man had to be Lucius Malfoy. Draco's father.

A dull blade of betrayal stabbed into his side a moment, then faded away with calm understanding. He let his mind slip away and closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. His hands slipped non-threateningly into his pockets, keeping a cool gaze on his face.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "So…you really are man of very few words, aren't you?"

The boy didn't respond, nor did he move at all. Malfoy leaned back, a smirk playing across his lips. "Our offer is quite simple." he said with a bored air. "We've been studying the uses of a very…unique…kind of muggle technology. The kind some moron fortified with magic. It seams this magic has created and entire race of creatures, who remain inactive and inaccessible to those from this side…do you follow so far?"

Kouichi hesitated, but gave a short nod.

Lucius widened his smile. "Bright lad." he said, fake-approving, and crossed to him. "Now…after months of research, we have found a way to command these so-called 'virtual' creatures…but making them 'exist' in this plane, or indeed, finding them physically at all, has seamed neigh-impossible…And that's where you come in, dear boy."

He put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder. "We've…come to the understanding that you might have a special…connection…with these creatures. Is it true?"

Kouichi kept his eyes locked. "And what if it is?"

A pale eyebrow was raised. "So he does speak." Malfoy chuckled, then continued. "If you agree to our terms, Our Lord will be certain to reward you properly…he may even be kind enough to forgive your dirty half-blood heritage." Claw-like, manicured nails curved into his shoulder. "All we ask is that you give us a way to completely reach that other world…and take control of the creatures that live there."

He pulled back to stand level with the shorter boy, looking him right in the eye. "Do we have a deal?"

"Go to hell." Malfoy started at the words from the boy's mouth, but wasn't prepared for the wand from his pocket. "_Akke Toraseru_!"

The blonde man was blown back by the fiery light-blow. Kouichi made a break for it, rushing for the door with his wand bared.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, STOP HIM!" Malfoy roared, and the others whipped out their wands.

Kouichi snapped his arm around twice. "_Oiyaru Buki! Expelliarmus!_"

Two wands went flying from their owner's hands. Kouichi's eyes turned for the door, stretching out to reach it, just before three voices shouted out at once. "_STUPEFY!_"

Two balls of light hit Kouichi square in the back, one after the other, followed by a third to his lower right side. A strangled gasp escaped from his lips helplessly, his wand plummeted to the ground, and he dropped limp.

The only woman in the group removed her mask, smirking as she walked forward to pick up his wand. The boy groaned, pulling himself up on his arms and reaching for it, weakly.

"This one has spunk." she sneered down at him. "Three stunning charms direct-hit, and he's still conscious."

She bent down and pressed Kouichi's own wand to the exposed skin of his throat. The boy froze, eyes widening with fear.

"That's right, boy." she whispered. "You should be afraid. You just made this very hard on yourself. _Stupefy_."

**__**

TBC…

Akke Toraseru Attack spell, Japanese version of 'Stupefy'

Oiyaru Buki Expelliarmus


	33. No Longer Safe

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Gemini Star: _(out cold on keyboard) _Zzzzzz.…zzz…

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Midori: Ahem…Author-lady is unable to answer your reviews at the moment, because she has just managed to survive a very hectic last week of school, including finals and stressing over final report cards. As such, she'll be out cold for a while…

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GS: Zzzzzz…No, carbon dioxide does not react well with water…Zzzz…

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Midori: Uh…huh.

**__**

Disclaimer: Author-Lady doesn't own Digimon or Harry Potter. Deal with it.

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Chapter 33: No Longer Safe

"Have you guys seen Kouichi?"

Takuya and Izumi looked up from their card game, a bit surprised. It was Sunday morning, right after breakfast, and the Great Hall was almost empty, leaving them free to play Exploding Snap at the Ravenclaw table. They hadn't been expecting Kouji to come up to them with a concerned-badly-covered-by-indifferent look, or the question he had asked.

"Not since yesterday." Izumi shrugged, playing her card. "In Hogsmeade."

"That's just it." Kouji frowned. "He was supposed to meet me at the book store yesterday, but he never showed up."

"He wasn't at dinner, either." Takuya noted, laying down one of his hand. "I thought he went back to the Slytherin dorms for a nap or something. He's been sleep-walking all year."

Kouji's frown deepened. He'd considered that, but usually he'd get at least a tickle from his brother's dreams while they were in range. However, there hadn't been so much as a feather touch through the whole evening, and this morning he just couldn't shake the sickening feeling that something was terribly amiss…

The sound of high-healed footsteps came close, and the three looked up to find Professor McGonagall heading their way. There was a strange look on her face, which raised Kouji's suspicions ever more.

"Good morning, McGonagall-sensei." Izumi bowed slightly, remaining seated.

"Good morning, Orimoto…Minamoto, Kanbara." the woman said stiffly, her face not unfolding from her concerned gaze.

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Is…something wrong, Sensei?"

"…" The teacher looked rather hesitant, something you did not see on this particular woman. Instead of responding to Takuya's question, she turned her eyes immediately to Kouji. "Mr. Minamoto. Please come with me."

Kouji raised an annoyed eyebrow, but the concerned tone made him followed after her. It wasn't long before he realized the route they were taking, as she lead him right up to the Headmaster's office.

The old man was pacing, moving from the window to the bookcase and back in a nervous fashion. He stopped when the two entered and smiled semi-warmly. "Come in, come in, Minerva…Mr. Minamoto…" he sighed, shaking his head and making his long, white hair rustle back and forth. "Please…Sit down."

Kouji did as he was told, sinking into the armchair while managing to keep his face loosely impassive. McGonagall took a straight-backed chair nearby, a frown set firmly on her face. For a long while, not one of them spoke, as the Headmaster went through his pace once more. Then Dumbledore turned to Kouji with a slight sigh.

"Kouji…I'm sorry to have to call you up here on your free day." he said, as though his mind was on something else. "But there's something we must talk about…Have you seen your brother?"

"No sir." Kouji's frown deepened. This was about Kouichi?

"Heard from him at all?" McGonagall pressed. "Any sort of contact?"

"No." Kouji repeated. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

McGonagall sighed in a depressed manner, and Dumbledore's concerned look slid into the look of one who had just heard something they had very much wanted not to hear.

"It seams, Minerva…" he whispered quietly. "It may be just as bad as we had feared."

Kouji stiffened slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

McGonagall glared at him as though about to admonish him for his language to the Headmaster, but Dumbledore waved her into silence. He moved behind his desk to sit in his chair, folding his fingers in front of him. "Kouji…I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but…Your brother was not reported in returning from Hogsmeade yesterday."

Kouji's blood ran cold as various worst-case scenarios flashed through his mind. Part of him knew the McGonagall was telling him how they'd searched the wizarding town, but he could hardly hear her. He was too busy watching images of his brother, lying unconscious in a cold alleyway, or at the mercy of some blood-thirsty Digimon or…or…

"Mr. Kimura?" McGonagall's sharpened tone pulled him back into reality, but with an angry glare at being interrupted. McGonagall's eyes narrowed, about to respond harshly, but Dumbledore waved her into silence.

"Don't trouble him, Minerva. It is rather…harsh." Dumbledore shook his head slowly and sighed, standing. "There is no other choice…I shall inform the rest of the school myself."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Dumbledore's announcement was short and sweet.

No one, except Kouji, had been expecting it. They were all ready for dinner, that's all they had been looking forward to. But tonight, just when the entire school had gathered in the Great Hall, was when the Headmaster stood and called for their collective attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a voice just enough above a whisper to echo around the immense room. "I'm afraid to tell you all that there has been some… disturbing…news."

The hall was instantly even more silent than it had been before. Dumbledore pushed his half-moon spectacles up the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. "A student of Hogwarts…has vanished."

A collective gasp ran through the hall, followed by anxious whispers as censuses were taken at each table to try to figure out who it was. Most of the prefects, including Hermione, were searching through their tables as best they could while remaining seated.

"I don't think anyone's missing here." she whispered anxiously, turning to Harry.

"That's a relief." the boy sighed. "But who do you think…?"

There was a short 'hmph' from a little further down the table. A few heads turned to find Kouji staring purposefully away from anyone else and glaring sternly out the window, his chin resting sternly on his arm. Ron frowned at him, slightly annoyed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." snapped the transfer, ruder than usual.

"Jeez, Kouji." Takuya rolled his eyes. "He just asked a simple question, what're you all worked up abo-"

His mouth fell open suddenly, as though something strange had just hit him in the face. "Oh no. You don't mean…"

Kouji turned and glared at him sourly. Takuya went completely pale and twisted around, snapping his eyes to the Slytherin table. "Oh man…"

"What is it?" Harry asked, dropping his voice down as McGonagall began to silence the hall again. "What's wrong?"

"Takuya-nii?" Tomoki asked, leaning over to his friend. "Kouji? What is it?"

"It's Kouichi…" Takuya shook his head, putting it in his hands. "Aw man, this sucks. This really, really sucks…"

Dumbledore rang one of the empty gold goblets with his knife, cutting off all forms of worried and/or curious conversation. As soon as the hall was quiet, he spoke again.

"As of yet, the student's whereabouts are unknown." he continued, glancing at each of the houses seriously. "But until we can determine the source of his disappearance, I'm afraid there will be some restrictions placed on the student body. A teacher will escort you from class to class. No one is allowed to leave their dormitories after classes are over. And all of you must extend extreme caution.

"Also…" Shining blue eyes turned to the green-robed table near by, focusing on a certain pale blonde student, the sole one not involving himself in the conversations. "If any of you has any information on the disappearance…any at all…I encourage each of you to come forward. The sooner we can return our comrade to his rightful place, the sooner everything at Hogwarts can return to normal…"

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( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Harry found himself in a huge room that was undeniably a dungeon. It was dark and damp, a few flickering candles illuminating the rough stone walls, covered in cobwebs and mold.

Also illuminated were the figures around him, all dressed in long, black robes. His loyal followers, forming their circle around him with malicious intent. Lucius, Bellatrix, Melcher, and half a dozen others, all with wide, horrible grins across their faces as though they were watching a very entertaining show.

He raised his hand and motioned them forward, as the snake at his feet hissed joyously. The Death Eaters around him shifted a moment, then pushed something forward so that it fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

The Japanese boy was bound tightly with magical ropes, no knot or seam in sight, his hands pulled behind his back and arms tied to his sides. His body was covered in scratches, bruises and the small burns of spell damage, especially around the wrists where the rope had abraded the pale skin. His clothes were torn slightly and there was a bloody cut above his left eye. He was trembling slightly, but it was from overly-strained physical weakness, not fear.

"So." Harry hissed icily, giving the captive his best glare. "Have you decided to tell us what we need to know?"

Kouichi remained silent and glared slightly in defiance.

"Just nod your head and we'll untie you." Harry continued. "You must be uncomfortable, and you know how hard it will be on you if your persist to disappoint us…"

The boy kept his mouth shut, not breaking eye contact, though he did begin to shake a bit more than before.

Harry felt a devious smile slip over his lips. "Lucius." he whispered icily. "Please remove the Silencio charm. I want to hear who he cries for under my wand."

Malfoy grinned maliciously, stepping forward. He grabbed the boy by the hair and wrenched his head back, exposing the pale flash of his throat. A thin wand pressed roughly into the point where his vocal cords were as the man whispered a spell.

Kouichi's breath was suddenly audible, harsh and ragged in his sorely-abused throat, but he said nothing, just gasped desperately for air. Malfoy stepped back as his Master came forward, pulling the phoenix-feather wand out of its hiding place.

"I'll give you one more chance to beg for mercy, boy." he hissed, straightening his arm to point the wand at him.

Kouichi gasped a few times, but not a word escaped his lips. He continued to glare.

A cold smile wormed its way onto Harry's lips. "Very well, then. _Crucio_."

The bound boy jerked suddenly with a half-muffled scream, writhing futilely against his bonds. In moments a flood of tears had begun streaming down his cheeks, and Harry knew the spell was taking its full effect, filling his victim's body with the magic pain that seared to the very bones. All around them, the Death Eaters laughed, Bellatrix Lestrange louder than them all.

The captive fell helplessly to the side, still trying to get away despite the despondency of it all. He bit his lip, even though he couldn't even muffle the cries of pain raking from his throat.

"K-Kaa-san…" he whimpered pitifully, evoking more laughter. "M-Mama… K-Kouji…Brother…Kou…ji…"

Harry burst awake, gasping for breath in the darkness. For a moment he sat there, trying to figure out exactly what had happened.

"It. Was. A dream." he told himself firmly, trying to catch his breath.

But it wasn't just a dream, he knew that. It was happening, probably right now, in some deep, dark dungeon miles away. He'd just watched…no, he'd just _been_ Voldemort as he tortured a helpless victim. And that victim wasn't just anyone, he was a classmate who had been missing for over a week now.

Harry sighed, falling back against his pillows in stressed exhaustion. It was confirmation, this dream. Confirming Dumbledore's suspicion. He should go tell him… it was important. But it was so…late…

He rolled over and buried his head in the pillows, trying desperately to push the dream out of his mind, just for the night, making a pact with himself to go to Dumbledore tomorrow morning.

If he had taken the time to listen, the total count of five sets of slow, steady breathing would have told him he wasn't the only one lying away.

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( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Harry wasn't the only one in Dumbledore's office the next morning, either. As he approached the top of the staircase (tailed closely by Professor McGonagall) he was a bit surprised to hear a very different voice on the other side.

"They're _hurting_ him, Professor! I know they are!"

McGonagall pushed open the door to reveal a rather desperate-looking Kouji, confronting the Headmaster with a highly labored, exhausted voice. He had slight bags under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept well. Dumbledore was listening to his testimony calmly, his hands folded to rest his chin on.

"Yes Kouji, I understand." he whispered softly. "I know your connection with your brother must be strong…Hakaishi-san did mention your parent's separation may have extended it. But there is nothing I can do."

"We have to do _something_!" Kouji insisted. "Every night, it's the same thing! Whoever has him, they're…they're…"

"…They're torturing him." finished Harry softly.

Kouji snapped his head around, but Dumbledore simply looked up. "Ah…Harry." he said, almost conversationally as he stood. "I take it you've had another of your visions?"

Harry nodded simply, coming up to stand on the same plane as Kouji. The transfer eyed his housemate suspiciously. "What kind of 'visions'?"

"Never you mind." Dumbledore ran a hand through his beard, turning to the boy. "Tell me, Harry, where have you been this time?"

Harry glanced at Kouji nervously, feeling a bit guilty for what he'd seen himself… no, what he'd seen _Voldemort_…do, but raised every once of his Gryffindor courage to bring himself to speak.

"I…It was Kimura." he reported hesitantly. Kouji snapped to attention. "He was… I'm not really sure. It was…dark. Like in the dungeons. And there were…people…"

"Which people, Harry?"

Harry frowned, trying to remember even as the images started to slip away. A few names popped into his head and he went with it. "…Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy. And Lestrange…"

Dumbledore's expression grew ever more serious. "And what were they doing?"

"…Like I said, Professor." Harry whispered, glancing hesitantly at Kouji once more. "They were…torturing him. Like they wanted something from him."

Kouji went several shades paler than normal, but hid it as best he could by turning away from them. His ponytail fell over his shoulder and he began running his fingers through it nervously, biting his lip.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, simply straightened to look grimly at McGonagall. "Minerva…It seams our darkest fear may have come true."

She drew in a soft breath. "Albus, it can't mean…"

"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore sighed softly. "One of our students has been taken by Death Eaters. Hogwarts is…once again…no longer safe."

**__**

TBC…

"Takuya-nii?" - Basically the same as saying 'Takuya-nii-san' I've been reading too much Fruits Basket. Hatsuharu calls Shigure, 'Shigure-nii', even though they're not related, because he's several years older than him.

(slightly dazed) By the way…The date Is currently May 19th. In two days I will be sixteen. Yea…(faints from exhaustion)

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Midori: (sweatdrop) I hate it when my author over-works herself…


	34. The Bonds of Friendship

Sorry this chapter took so long, people, but right after school let out my folks packed us up and we went to stay with our grandfather in Austin for a while. I'm…actually still in Austin, connecting to the net by way of my mother's laptop. I do hope you can understand, because if you don't I'm in a lot of trouble…(gulps at the numerous torches and pitchforks) Continue? Okay…

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. Deal with it.

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Chapter 34: The Bond of Friendship

"I just don't get it." Ron muttered the following afternoon, moving in their disorganized bunch of red-clothed students towards Charms. "Why on earth would Volde-"

"_Ron_." Hermione hissed savagely. Even though it was a major rumor and the assumed reason of Kimura's disappearance, those who spoke the name within school corridors had a nasty habit of winding up in severe conditions, or at least in detention.

"Sorry." The redhead apologized hastily. "But why would…You-Know-Who… want to kidnap a transfer student? I mean, it's not like any of them are really a threat or anything."

"It was the _act_ of kidnapping that makes it a threat."

Harry glanced at Hermione with confusion. "Say again?"

The girl sighed. "Look, the Japanese government sent them over here as a sign of friendship, brotherhood, well-being, all that stuff. It was a show of trust, both in our country and in Dumbledore. Now that one of the transfers has disappeared, that trust is broken."

"So you're saying that Volde-." Harry was interrupted by Hermione's cough. "That _You-Know-Who_ just took him to threaten the Japanese government?"

"Not exactly." Hermione shook her head, taking her seat in the classroom. "When the Japanese Council hears about this, they'll be furious. They'll probably withdraw all efforts to create allies or any other kind of support against the Death Eaters. And that would leave both countries vulnerable."

Professor Flitwick entered the room them, ushering in a new wave of silence as he began his lecture. If Harry had turned around, he would have seen the Transfers just behind him, hearing every word and glancing at each other as though they disagreed…

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The next morning, Kouji received at letter.

Now, this was a somewhat normal occurrence, all things considered, except that said letter was delivered by a familiar eagle-owl, which soon afterwards returned to its normal place at the Slytherin table.

Harry and Ron were almost instantly on alert. "What does Malfoy want?" The black-haired boy asked, leaning over the table.

Kouji glared at the two of them in annoyance, then glanced at Takuya in contemplation before hooking his fingers under the seal and pulling the letter open. A single, thin sheet of parchment fell out into his hand. Blue eyes scanned over the small page contemplatively, one eyebrow perking in interest.

"So?" Takuya prompted after a moment. "What's up?"

Kouji looked back at him nonchalantly. "You tell me." He said simply, handing the note back.

Takuya's dark brown eyes narrowed. "You know I can't read English."

Harry leaned over one shoulder as Hermione leaned over the other, reading the somewhat neat, almost calligraphic script on the simple parchment:

__

Be behind Greenhouse 5 after breakfast. Alone.

"Don't go." Ron suggested instantly. "If it's Malfoy, it's probably a trick."

"Or a trap or something." Hermione added.

Kouji frowned at the parchment slightly, then pushed away from the bench and made his way to the grand doors at the front of the room. "H-Hey!" Ron exclaimed. "Wh-Where're you going?"

"Breakfast is almost over." The transfer said simply.

"You're not seriously going to meet him, are you?" Hermione gasped, standing herself. "But what if it's…"

Kouji turned to glare at them in annoyance. "I'm. Going."

"Then so am I." Takuya insisted, jumping up and running over to his friend's side. "Malfoy's a slimy little rat, and besides…" He leaned in close to whisper. "I get the feeling that this is about…Him."

Kouji glared at him, but the glare read that he had thought of the same thing.

Harry was on his feet as well, followed closely by Ron and Hermione. "We're going, too."

"No." Takuya and Kouji snapped in unison.

"You don't know Malfoy the way we do." Hermione insisted as the group made their way out the door.

"Yeah." Ron nodded intently. "You don't have any idea what he could pull."

Kouji growled low in his throat, tensing his fists as though ready to punch through a wall. "Fine." He snapped shortly, and stormed out in a huff.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Malfoy's blue eyes narrowed in annoyance as the group approached the small alcove behind Greenhouse 5. "I told you to come alone."

"They're a little pushy." Kouji muttered slowly, taking the head and coming forward to match Malfoy glare for glare. "What do you want?"

Draco glared at Harry, Ron, Takuya and Hermione in turn, before reaching into the pocket of his cloak and pulling out a thick parchment envelope. "Here." he growled, shoving it into Kouji's hands.

The transfer looked down at it suspiciously. "What it is?"

"Direction to Malfoy Manor." Draco snapped shortly. "It's Southeast, roughly the distance to London."

Takuya's glare narrowed. "And you're telling us this…why?"

"None of _your_ business." Malfoy glared. "It's between me…and Kimura."

"Kimura?" Harry stiffened slightly, but Kouji cut him off.

"That's where Kouichi is?"

Draco glared at them both, taking one very small step backwards. "I guess that's just for you to find out, isn't it?"

"You know what I bet?" Ron proclaimed loudly, taking a step closer to Malfoy himself. "I bet _you_ had something to do with him going missing in the first place!"

A low growl rumbled up from Malfoy's throat. "Shut up, Weasley."

"It's true, isn't it?" Ron's voice raised slightly and he took another step forward. "You probably tricked him right into it, you lying little…"

The redhead was suddenly cut off by a sudden movement from the blonde, striding forward and snatching up his collar, slamming him into the castle wall a few feet away. Harry's hand went to his wand, but his wrist was suddenly caught by Takuya, who was listening to Malfoy's slow, steady exclamations of barely-contained rage.

"Shut…the hell…up." The refined voice didn't quite suit the snarls and growls coming from the blonde's throat. "You don't have any _idea_…You think it's so easy, your type, standing up against Him like that. Anyone in our circles know about your family, lot of blood traitors they've always been, and your mother's family too. Your type's always the same…"

Harry snatched his wand out of his pocket and leveled it at the back of Malfoy's head. "You better let go of him, Malfoy."

Icy blue eyes turned back to glare at him, but his grip relaxed and thin fingers released the cloth of Ron's robe. With one last annoyed growl, he spun on his heels and stormed off.

"You better bring him back in one piece." He sneered, turning around just slightly to glare at Kouji. "He's the only one with any sense in your lot."

A slightly cold smirk wormed its way over Kouji's lips. "Always has been."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Eleven o'clock.

Takuya rolled out of bed, moving through the heavy curtains to land as softly as he could on all fours. He was fully dressed, save for his shoes, which were clutched in his hand quietly as he moved. He could feel the presence of two things weighting down his pockets. In the right pocket was his D-Tector, the left his wand. He was bringing nothing else.

His hand reached slowly into his left pocket as he moved slowly on all fours through the room. He hid the tip of his wand in the sleeve of his robe. "_Lumos._"

The light flickered on, muffled slightly by the cloth of his robe, shining just enough on the wooden floor for him to move around without bumping into anything. He made his creeping way slowly toward the center of their 'wagon-wheel' formation.

A few moments later, another muffled light flickered on around the corner, coming out into the center. For a moment it illuminated the face of Kouji Minamoto, crouched slightly with one hand around his wand, the other around the handle of Takuya's broom.

Takuya breathed a small sigh of relief. "You're so much better at this than I am."

"Just keep it quiet." Kouji hissed shortly, moving towards the door. "Come on… Tomoki's waiting."

The pair slipped through the door to the dorms, slowly shutting the door behind them before rising to their feet to creep down the stairs. Two landings down they found Tomoki, wrapped in his cloak and clutching the green D-Tector with both hands. As a group they made their way down to the common room to put their plan into action.

"Uh, Kouji?" Tomoki gulped, looking down the five stories to the ground. "Are you sure about this?"

"You got a better plan?" Kouji asked simply.

"Well, no, but…" Tomoki swallowed again. "_Three_ of us, on _one_ broom?"

"Izumi's using hers, and Junpei's risking it with the Transfiguration classroom window." Takuya rattled off. "And if we don't get going, they'll beat us out there."

"So what are we waiting for?" Kouji snapped.

"You two to hang on."

Tomoki gulped and slipped his arms around Takuya's waist. Kouji gripped the wood handle tightly, leaning forward slightly so Takuya could see over him. "Everybody set?"

"If we're ever going to be."

"On my mark, then." Kouji took a deep breath. "One…Two…Three!"

Takuya and Kouji pushed off at the same time, but Tomoki was a few seconds later, causing them to warble slightly on take-off and knock haphazardly against the windowsill and fishtail as they gained altitude.

"Takuya!" Kouji shouted as the wind whipped his ponytail into his face. "Get this thing back on track!"

"I'm working on it!" Takuya exclaimed, pulling at the stubborn broom furiously. It took another few moments of warbling, and they almost plummeted twice, but they made it out into the clump of trees at the very edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Izumi was already waiting for them, leaning against the handle of her broom and tapping her foot restlessly. "It's about time you got here." She sighed.

The three jumped off their ride and stashed it under another bush, as Izumi did with her prized Inazuma. Suddenly, there was a small crash from behind them, making them all jump. "What was that?" Tomoki squeaked.

Kouji and Takuya both snatched up their wands as the trees rustled in front of them…And out came Junpei, look flushed and slightly out of breath.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The widest of the group exclaimed, waving his hands wildly. "It's just me!"

"You're late," Kouji growled softly, stowing away his wand.

Takuya blew his bangs up with a sigh, replacing his wand and beginning to fumble with his D-Tector nervously. "So, are we all ready?"

"I guess so…" Izumi shrugged slightly, producing her D-Tector from her pocket. "But are we really sure about this? I mean, it'll take a while, even if we Digivolve, and we don't even know if Kouichi is really…"

"We really don't have any choice." Takuya sighed, adjusting his goggles restlessly. "We only have three weeks until school is over. Once we leave, we won't be able to do…anything."

Tomoki sighed. "And Voldemort will still have Kouichi…"

"And a way into the Digital World." Junpei nodded.

Kouji glared slightly, tossing his ponytail back behind his back. "That's why we have to…"

He cut off suddenly, snapping his head around at a sudden noise. Junpei raised an eyebrow. "What's with…?"

"Quiet." Kouji hushed, pulling out his wand again and staring intently into the dark trees.

"Kouji?" Izumi asked worriedly. "What is it?"

Kouji shushed them again, moving forward with one hand curling around his wand, the other reaching out to feel amongst the trees. He groped about a moment as though he couldn't see, but before anyone could ask him what he was doing he gripped the thin air and yanked it back to reveal…

"Potter!"

"Weasley!"

"Granger!"

"Aw…Crud."

**__**

TBC…

"…and your mother's family, too." - According to Molly Weasley had some close relatives that were killed by Voldemort.


	35. Explinations Transformation an Transport

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GS: (currently in a comatose state on the keyboard)

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Midori: (standing next to her head) Er…Sorry this chapter is so late, folks, but almost right after she posted the last one, Author-Lady here went on quite an…interesting… ten-day mission trip to Pennsylvania…

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GS: (mumbling) Gary-san, what state 'er we in? …Ohio? NOOOOOO! WE'RE _STILL_ IN OHIO! …I want my Kurama-san… (cuddles newly-bought plushie of Kurama from _Yu Yu Hakusho_)

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Midori: Uh…Yeah. Please excuse the crazy author-lady and enjoy the chapter.

**__**

Disclaimer: The day author-lady owns Digimon, Harry Potter or anything else in this fic will also be the day she announces her marriage to Bigfoot, with the Monster from the Blue Lagoon as the flower girl.

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Chapter 35: Explanations, Transformations and Transportation

Ron's words summed up the situation very nicely.

"Aw, crud."

The transfers stared down at the crouched trio of Gryffindors with mingling expressions, ranging from surprise to amusement to annoyance to serious anger, the later being that worn by one Kouji Minamoto, who still gripped the Invisibility Cloak dangerously in one hand.

The black-haired transfer blew an annoyed breath between his teeth. "What…do you think…you're doing here?"

Hermione bristled with her deeply-routed prefect pride. "We could ask you the same thing." She snapped, rising to her feet with the boys barely seconds behind.

Harry's stand was a tad bit more restrained, turning his head to look at Takuya instead of Kouji. "You're going after him, aren't you?"

"We don't have a choice." Takuya shrugged.

"But…But wait a second!" Ron gasped, pale in the face. "You were talkin' about some pretty weird stuff…"

Junpei laughed awkwardly. "Oh…you heard that…did you?"

"Every word." Hermione whispered coolly, taking a step into the clearing and facing the group of transfers with a serious glare in her eyes. "And we'd like a little explanation."

The transfers, except for a very annoyed Kouji, refused to meet her eye. Tomoki shifted anxiously, shuffling his feet, and Izumi started muttering nervously in what sounded like Italian.

Hermione was getting annoyed. "We're not going away, so stop stalling." She snapped, almost vicious. "What exactly is this 'Digital World' place? What are Digimon, and why are you hiding it from everyone?"

"It's none of your business." Kouji hissed, just as viciously.

"It is when they're invading our school!" Hermione exclaimed. "Those were Digimon out there, weren't they? At the game, and in Hogsmeade, those were Digimon! They're not in any of the records of magical creatures and there's never even been a sighting of anything like them, so why do you seam to know what they are?"

Kouji growled low under his breath. "We don't have _time_ for this."

"Yeah, right." Takuya sighed, stretching out his shoulders restlessly. "Why don't we just take them with us and explain on the way?"

Kouji glared at him. The goggle-wearing teen shrugged and mouthed, "Well, they're not leaving…"

Harry frowned slightly. "On the way…where?"

Kouji waved the folded sheet of parchment, the directions to the Malfoy manner. Hermione, only slightly mollified, sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "And how exactly are you planning to get there?"

A mischievous grin quirked over Takuya and Junpei's mouths, a highly entertained one mirrored on Izumi's and Tomoki's, and in Kouji's eyes. "Do you really think we came all the way out here…" Takuya grinned, flipping his D-Tector into his hand. "And didn't think of that?"

Kouji's blue and white D-Tector soon appeared out of his pocket, followed by Izumi's own purple one. Tomoki and Junpei took several steps back, pulling the others away with them.

"Hey…wha…?"

"We don't know if this is gonna work yet." Junpei shrugged, and before anyone could ask what 'this' was there was a huge beam of light, accompanied by three different voices:

__

"EXECUTE…BEAST SPIRIT EVOLUTION!"

The resulting flash of light was blinding, to say the least, and accompanied with by a chorus of strange beeping and whistling noises that echoed metallically through the dark woods. Ron, Harry and Hermione quickly ducked back, covering their eyes against the harsh light, and when they looked again, they were…surprised, to say the least.

Standing exactly where Takuya had been, there was an absolutely huge creature that instantly reminded Harry of a very over-grown phoenix, somehow bred with a dragon. It was huge, the top of its head barely brushing the very top of the trees. It shrugged its huge shoulders and stretched them out as though just trying them on.

When Kouji had been was now a large white wolf covered with gleaming, pure white armor so that it seamed to be completely made of metal. It, too, was gargantuan, roughly the size of Buckbeak the Hippogriff and with the same amount of hidden danger. There appeared to be wheels on his large, clawed feet, and he shook his huge head restlessly.

The third figure was hovering several feet above where Izumi had previously been. For a split second, Harry was reminded of the Tengu, but quickly changed his mind as the creature's fantastical beauty registered. About a head taller than the normal full-grown woman with all the curves of a supermodel, the purple-clad creature looked almost harmless until you noticed the large claws adorning each hand.

After all this information managed to plant itself in their minds, Ron promptly fell over backwards. "What...the bloody…hell?"

Junpei was tense all over, taking a hesitant step forward. "Guys? Everybody okay in there?"

"Yeah." the dragon-phoenix growled in a low version of Takuya's voice. He nodded his huge head, pulling several tree branches free in his wake. "Feels fine."

"Under control." The bird-thing said in Izumi's voice, flexing her claws thoughtfully. "But Takuya, why did you Digivolve?"

The huge dragon-thing shrugged its shoulders. "With three more people, somebody's gotta carry them."

Harry blinked, then did it again, rubbed his eyes and straightened, blinking up at the fire-creature in blank astonishment. "Ta…Takuya?"

The creature turned its head and…grinned at him. "What? You were expecting someone else?"

"B-But how did you…" Hermione was white as a sheet. "This is…impossible! You can't be Animagi, and that transformation…"

"Bloody hell." Ron said again.

The bird-thing…Izumi…smiled down at them. "It's called 'Spirit Evolution'." she told them brightly. "Long story short, the spirits let us become Digimon."

"But what are…?"

"On the way." The Kouji-wolf-thing cut Hermione off with a growl, tossing his head restlessly. He moved to the group…somehow, Harry couldn't tell if he walked or wheeled himself over…and tossed his head in the other direction. "Get on."

The English wizards blinked at him. "…Eh?"

"You heard me." The deep growl rumbled out again, accompanied by an annoyed glare. "I can carry two."

Ron, Harry, and Hermione all looked roughly like the proverbial rug had just been pulled out from under them. They glanced at each other, then Harry finally shrugged and went to grip the back of the wolf's breastplate, pulling himself on the way he had with Buckbeak and the Thestrals. After a hesitant moment, Ron joined him.

Izumi-bird-creature smiled, landing next to Hermione. "Allie oop." She said brightly, which was the only warning before she scooped the girl up into her arms, making her shriek slightly and wrap arms around her neck.

Takuya-dragon laughed at their reactions, scooping the remaining two so that one rested on each arm. "Everybody set?"

"They better be." The Kouji-wolf growled, lowering the wheels on his paws. "'Cause I'm not waiting."

"All right then." Izumi-bird flared her wings and lifted up above the trees. "Let's get going!"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"So…Digimon are…Computer programs?" Hermione asked, frowning a bit as she tried to comprehend all the information she'd been given in this three-hour flight. "Enforced by magic?"

"Something like that." Izumi…Zyphermon…smiled behind her mask, ignoring Ron's repeated question about what a computer was. "Kouichi-kun understands it better than the rest of us. He got it first-hand."

"How?" Harry asked, still gripping the breastplate for his life as they raced through woods that got darker and darker. "And why him?"

"We don't really know." Izumi called as Kouji…KendoGururumon…growled. "But Kouichi's been tied in with the Digital World ever since we came back. I think why he's so sensitive to magic and stuff."

"…I guess that makes sense." Hermione had a very thoughtful look on her face. "And that's the reason Voldemort took him, isn't it? The real reason?"

The Digimon-Transfers exchanged solemn glances. "Yeah…we think so."

"Something like that."

… … …

"Hey Takuya?" Tomoki asked softly, looking up into the giant Digimon's face. "Why did you bring those guys along anyway?"

"Who? Potter and the others?" BurningGreymon tossed his head slightly, clearing away the last of the stuck branches that hadn't come loose in the torrent winds circling them. "Come on, guys, you've heard the rumors, too…"

"Rumors?" Junpei whispered, just as softly.

"About those three." Takuya grinned softly with a melancholy air. "The stuff they've been through, especially Potter? They probably know more about Voldemort and his Kegareru than we could even guess at."

"So you really think they're going to help?" Tomoki looked over at the rest of the group, the three English wizards still getting the run-down from Zyphermon.

"Kouji would think so…If he was thinking properly."

"What does _that_ mean?"

Takuya shook his head, this time with mild worry. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed." He sighed. "Ever since Kouichi disappeared, Kouji's been going nuts…He won't show it, of course, 'cause it's Kouji, but he's really not thinking straight."

"So you're trying to do it for him?" Junpei raised and eyebrow.

Takuya grinned again. "Hey, somebody has to."

A low growl suddenly echoed up from the path below them. "That's it." KendoGururumon's voice floated up with it, as the large wolf motioned his head forward.

The rest of the group looked up, finding themselves faced by a large castle mounted in the midst of the dark forest, almost completely dark. The only thing that made you even think that the castle was there was that the moon, shining behind it, made a very thin silvery outline against sky where there were no stars.

The grin quickly vanished from Takuya's face, returning to one of serious impassiveness. "Well, gang." he sighed, bristling all over and preparing to de-Digivolve. "Here goes nothing."

**__**

TBC…

Heh heh…sorry to leave off there, folks. But I really just need some more time to think about what happens next, and I figure you'd rather have a quick update now instead of waiting an extra three weeks for me to finish. (Even if this chapter was majorly lame…I'm really sorry about that…) So, don't kill me, I swear the action really starts up in the next chapter…Fight scene, fight scene…(passes out again)

****

Midori: Oh boy…


	36. Rescue Operation

Wow, I've been working on this fic for almost a year now! (Pow pow balloons) I started writing the very first chapter on July 6th, 2004. It is now July 2nd, 2005! A whole year! My longest-running story ever! And it's…not quite finished yet. Amazing…And I lied. No battle scene quite yet…that's the next chapter.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

Chapter 36: Rescue Operation

The landing outside of the Malfoy mansion went smoothly enough, the three Digimon dropping into a thick clump of trees and setting down their passengers before transforming back into their human forms.

"So…Now what?" Ron asked, glancing around.

Kouji fumbled about in his pocket a moment before pulling out the folded pad of parchment that Malfoy had sent him, along with his wand. "…Lumos." He mumbled, and the wand sparked to life.

The directions to the location had been elaborate, but what to do afterwards was only two lines: '_Back door leads to basement' _and '_Watch out for the Crups.'_

"Back door?" Izumi asked out loud.

Takuya and Tomoki stepped in from where they had gone out in a sort of 'scouting' mission. "From what I can tell, we're somewhere on the right side of the place." The older one reported.

"I saw a door around that way." Tomoki added, pointed out to the left. "Looks like the one at the shrine, the place Hakaishi-sensei and Kenkyo-sensei keep the sake…"

"Like a wine cellar." Hermione reiterated, more for Ron and Harry's sake than anything else.

"From the looks of it…" Junpei looked over Kouji's shoulder at the page. "That's where we need to head first, if this thing is worth anything."

"I guess…" Harry shrugged, frowning a bit in annoyance. "But what does it mean by 'watch out for the…"

There was a loud barking noise. The group collectively snapped their heads up to find a small heard of large, white dogs charging towards them. They looked like very big Jack Russell Terriers, until you noticed the forked tail, and they seamed to be very, very angry at the group's presence.

Harry snapped out his wand, as did Ron, but the transfers had other ideas. "Don't stand there, run!" Takuya exclaimed, jumping to his feet and taking off, dragging Tomoki behind by the arm.

"Harry, they're right!" Hermione insisted, grabbing her friend's sleeves.

"But…"

"There are too many of them, and they're probably trained to only listen to the Malfoys!" The girl insisted.

Izumi nodded furiously as well, pulling at Ron impatiently. "They'll rip us apart!"

Ron paled slightly as the Crups got close enough to see the foam frothing out of the animal's mouths. "Uh…I think I see your point."

He and Harry stuffed their wands into his pocket and took off back into their places and took off after the others, racing for the door Tomoki had found as fast as humanly possible and praying to dear god that it wasn't actually a wine cellar.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Taking a running dive through an unknown door is, of course, not a wise to do. It is especially unwise when the door in question might just lead to a dead-end and you are being followed by a large herd of magical dogs intent on ripping you into very small pieces.

However, it is also not a wise thing when the door in question leads to a long, stone staircase, as Harry soon discovered when he found himself half-dazed and sitting in a puddle at the bottom of said stairs.

"Awesome landing, buddy." Takuya grinned, barring the heavy door with a wooden beam before coming down the stairs. "But, I'd give it a nine out of ten."

Harry groaned, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance. "Gee, thanks."

The group tromped down the stairs behind the goggle head, glancing about at the decor as they went. "It's so dark…" Izumi whispered hesitantly.

Ron pulled out his wand and flicked it. "Lumos." He mumbled, and the resulting beam of light illuminated the long hall way in front of them.

The group glanced around at each other in minor hesitation. Ron motioned slightly with his free hand. "Who wants to go first?"

"You've got the light." Tomoki pointed out.

"Yeah, but you gotta have the light behind you to see anything."

Kouji rolled his eyes and pulled his jacket more tightly around himself. "Let's just _go_." he snapped, and stormed off down the hall. The others glanced at each other one more time, then followed after him.

The hall was lined with doors, each leading, as they assumed, into separate cells for the captives and victims. Hermione shuttered slightly as she noticed something red splattered against the bars of one of the windows. "This is disgusting…"

"This is definitely a dungeon." Junpei muttered, looking around at the damp stone walls that lined the cold halls.

"Yeah…" Tomoki rubbed his head. "And it looks just like the route to Potions."

"I can't believe anyone could live here for long." Izumi muttered, rubbing her arms. "It's so cold and wet, you'd think you'd catch your death…"

A short, somewhat strangled gasp floated up from the front of the group. Harry looked up to find Kouji staring through the barred window of one of the thick wooden doors. "What is it, Kouji?"

The dark-haired boy looked…taken aback, shocked, maybe even scared as he whispered hesitantly. "N-Nii-san…"

The one word sent a small electric shot rippling through the group. In an instant, they'd raced back to crowd around the door in an unorganized group.

Past the bars of the window, they could just barely see the pathetic form lying curled on the cold, moist stone floor. He was lying on his stomach, mostly because the hands tied behind his back would be rather painful to lie against. He wasn't moving.

"Oh god…" Izumi whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

Takuya grabbed the heavy iron door-knob, only to find it locked. "We've gotta get in there!"

"Stand back!" Hermione whipped out her wand, aiming it at the lock. "_Alohomora!_"

Green sparks flashed out of the lock, but when they tried it again nothing had happened. "It must be charmed, 'Mione." Ron shrugged. "We'll have to find another…"

Hermione grabbed Takuya by the back of his collar, pulling the only other person left clear of the door and its lock as she pointed her wand again. "_Bombarda!_"

The lock, quite simply, exploded, leaving a charred hole in the thick wooden door. Junpei gave the remaining handle a furious yank and it swung open.

Kouji was the first to rush in, an almost uncharacteristic clash with his usual look-before-you-even-think-about-leaping policy. The others were right on his heels, Tomoki closing the door behind them (someone wouldn't notice the smoking hole in place of the lock…), as he hurried to his brother's side and gently turned the ailing boy over to see his face.

Harry could tell, he was worse than in his dream. His face was covered with scratches, most of them abrasions from the hard floor but one was a deep, congealed gash above his left eye. He looked thin and weak, and even though you could see he was breathing, it was short and shallow and seamed to be the only motion he had the energy left to do.

Kouji lowered himself to the ground and, very gently, lifted his brother's head into his lap. "Nii-san…" he whispered quietly, giving the injured form a gentle shake. "Nii-san…Can you hear me? Say something…"

"Come on, buddy." Takuya muttered, biting his lip as he started to work on the magical ropes with his wand.

Hermione knelt next to Izumi and pressed her hand to his forehead. Then she snapped her fingers three times, relatively close to Kouichi's ear. He didn't flutter and eye lid.

The girl leaned back, seemingly satisfied as she pulled out her wand again. "They put a spell on him." She said confidently. "It's a kind of suspended animation. They must've done it so he would be able to recover between attacks."

"…Well?" Junpei prompted sourly. "Can you get it off?"

"Just a moment." Hermione sighed. "I have to aim it at the right place, you know."

She lowered her wand and took several long seconds judging where she could do the most help and the least damage. Finally, she aimed at a point just above his collarbone, a small pocket between bones and well-known pressure point. "_Finite Incantatum_."

A small, white light flashed from her wand and snaked over the boy's body. A moment later Kouichi stirred, his dark blue eyes opening blurrily to look up at his brother as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Kou…ji…?"

For a moment, Kouji seamed to have lost his voice. Then it sputtered back. "Y-Yes…Nii-san, I'm here…Don't worry, we're all here…We're going to get you out of here, I promise…"

Kouichi shifted a bit, then groaned in pain. "Easy there." Takuya warned from behind him. "Give us a moment and we'll have you loose, no problems."

Kouichi smiled a bit at his friend's voice, closing his eyes a moment.

"Do you hurt all over?" Izumi asked worriedly.

"It's not…that bad…"

Harry felt the need to speak up. "The Cruciatus Curse wears off pretty fast…" He mentioned, half-heartedly remembering his experience with the Unforgivable during the Triwizard Tournament. "But I don't know about anything else…"

There was a small snap as the ropes snapped, falling loose and disappearing almost as soon as they touched the ground. The captive boy let out a loud, low groan of pain as his limbs slipped back into their relaxed positions, sore and stiff from days bound into the same positions, popping every joint as they moved.

"Easy, easy." Junpei prompted again, helping the boy roll over onto his back. He gasped for breath, staring up at the blank black ceiling in pain. The oldest boy sighed and looked over at the female transfer. "Izumi, you're better at healing spells than the rest of us. Can't you do something?"

"…I can try." Izumi pulled out her thin, eastern-style, kappa tendon wand, pointing it at the same pressure point Hermione had put hers. "_Herasu…Nakunaru… Shuri."_

A pale pink light was emanated this time, sliding across Kouichi's body like a blanket. His face relaxed visibly and his breathing was slowly eased, dark blue eyes fluttering open with a calm, quiet air.

He smiled at his brother, then turned to Izumi. "Th-Thank you…"

The girl smiled as well. "Any time."

"Um…Not to be a bother." Ron's voice suddenly spoke up from where he was hovering near the door. "But shouldn't we be getting _out_ of here soon, before someone comes down and finds this little reunion?"

Izumi shot him an accusing glare, as did a rather irate Hermione, but the boys didn't seam so aggravated. Actually, Tomoki looked as though he agreed with the redhead. "He's…he's got a point. We need to get out of here soon…"

Harry glanced at his watch. They'd been in here for…twenty minutes. Who knew if or when the guards came around to check on the cells. "He's right. We need to go."

Takuya and Kouji nodded in agreement. Kouji stood first, taking his brother by his right arm as Takuya helped him hoist Kouichi up with the left. "Easy there." Junpei prompted yet again, reaching into his pocket. "I can take him, once we Digivolve, he's light enough to…"

"Wait…" Kouichi shifted, standing on his own two feet but supporting himself by leaning on his brother's shoulder. "We can't…Can't go yet."

The group stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

The boy shifted painfully, popping his shoulder as he did. "Voldemort… Voldemort has my D-Tector…"

Now the chorus was louder, even if it was only the transfer. "WHAT?"

Harry blinked several times. "What's a D-Tector?"

"These." Tomoki pulled a white and green plastic device out of his pocket… Harry was reminded of the video game Kouji's father had sent him for Christmas. "They're from the Digital World, so we can Digivolve…Kouichi's been bringing them over all year…"

The entire group of transfers looked very, very disturbed. "If Voldemort has one…" Izumi whispered.

"…He might be able to get into the Digital World…For real!" Takuya finished, slamming a fist into the other hand. "We can't let that happen!"

"We can't just rush in!" Kouji glared at him, slipping his arm back under his brother's arms in concern. "Kouichi's in no shape to be trekking around everywhere…"

"I'm fine." The elder twin shook himself, steadying as best he could. "Kouji… We can't leave. The Digimon…are counting on us. If we leave now…"

"…We might never come back…" Kouji finished with an annoyed sigh, blowing up his loosened bangs in distaste. There was a moment of silence before he sighed again, this time in defeat.

"…Fine."

**__**

TBC…

Sake - (pronounced Sah-kae) Rice wine, often used in Shinto or Buddhist ceremonies, sometimes to drink and sometimes to anoint things. The term has also grown to mean 'booze' in general, but the traditional sake is just rice wine.


	37. Return of the Legendary Warriors

I did something stupid…I wrote the ending after doing half of the chapter, so I could get it out of my mind. And then I forgot to go back and put the scene in! Whaaaaaah…I feel so stupid…

If this particular chapter seams really late, it's got two reasons. One, I've been at Synod of the Sun Youth Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the last week. And two…I got my copy of _The Half Blood Prince_ right after I got back…And the next two volumes of _Artimes Fowl_, and Douglas Adam's last book, and _The Five People You Meet In Heaven, _and this funny grammar book _Eats, Shoots and Leaves…_

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

Chapter 37: Return of the Legendary Warriors

After thirty-five minutes, only one thing was readily apparent: someone, somewhere in the Malfoy line someone was ridiculously paranoid.

The whole of the mansion appeared to be one very long, very complicated maze. Hallway after hallway looped around and tied knots in each other with almost no regard for physical for physical space. The stone walls were lined with lavish, rich tapestries depicting some rather…disturbing…images of rather bloody, gory and painful Muggle-hunts and other disturbing things. Junpei and Takuya had both Digivolved, the former in case of surprise attack and the former to carry the semi-conscious Kouichi.

"This place is harder to get around in than the school!" Izumi sighed, shaking her head in disgust at the dried severed head resting on a bookshelf just under her eye level. "And not half as pleasant."

"I know what you mean." Beatlemon buzzed. "I've heard some Westerners have weird hobbies, but…Yuck."

Ron looked a bit offended and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Harry let out a very small cry, snapping his hand up to his forehead painfully. "Harry, what is it?"

"My scar…" Harry hissed, rubbing the burning, itching lightening bolt furiously. "I think Voldemort's found out about the jailbreak."

Tomoki blinked up at him, cocking his head curiously. "How'dya figure?"

"Later." Hermione whispered urgently, pulling out her wand. "Right now we have to get out of here. If they find us, it's all over!"

Kouji shot her a slightly annoyed-but-secretly-agreeing look, turning back to the compass feature now displayed on his D-Tector. The red light was flashing softly, which usually meant they were within twenty meters of Kouichi's Digivice. But the direction it was pointing lead straight through a bookshelf set into the wall, and there was no sign that they'd be able to reach another room through this hall…

Wait a moment…

After eyeing the bookcase suspiciously, Kouji sighed, shaking his head, and grumpily shoved at a book sticking just out of the shelf. That was stupid, even a magically charmed castle wouldn't have something like…

And, quite suddenly, he fell through the now-transparent bookcase.

It took a few moment of explanation and instructions to get everyone through to the other side. Once there, it took another long moment to recover their senses enough to react.

In the room was a computer.

And not just any computer, but a gargantuan mass of lights, buttons and wires that looked to have been first built in the early 70s. We say 'first built' because it seamed to have been crudely upgraded, enhanced and up-linked with several others by people grossly inexperienced in the use and/or management of electronic devices. Of course, all this had to be explained to a rather stunned Ron, which took another several minutes as the more astute eyes began scanning the monstrosity for a certain key component.

It was Tomoki who noticed it first. "There!" he announced, pointing up at the black device grafted to the consol roughly eight and a half meters above them. Wires had been attached from every angle save the front, some having no identifiable purpose and others fused directly into the plastic.

"…Holy cow." Agunimon muttered blankly.

"Don't wizards here know _anything_ about computers?" Izumi wondered outlaid. Hermione automatically shook her head.

Junpei…Beatlemon…grinned behind his face-plate. You could see it in his eyes. "I'll get it." He buzzed brightly. Metallic wings spread as he took flight, coming to a hovering stop right even with the plastic device.

Large, blue-gloved hands wrapped around the small thing firmly and pulled. It came, but so did the wires attached, pulling it to a stop about eight inches from the computer.

"No good!" he called down. "They're too tight! I need something to cut it down!"

Kouji huffed slightly, pulling out his D-Tector. "No problem. _Execute, Spirit Evolution!_"

There was a flash of light and a rush of data, sliding away to reveal Lobomon in the boy's place.

Ron drew in a sharp breath. "I am _never_ going to get used to that."

Lobomon pulled out the silver hilt bearing his light-bladed-sword, tossing up to Beatlemon. The blue Digimon caught it expertly, extended the hilt not-so-expertly, and set to slicing the extra wires around the black Digivice.

"You know…" Izumi muttered thoughtfully, running her hand along the cold metallic casing of the huge machine. "I'll bet this thing is how he's been tapping into the Digital World this whole time."

Agunimon grinned as he set Kouichi (who himself was quite happy NOT being fussed over) ob his feet next to Harry and Hermione. "Then we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?"

Kouji sent a scathing glare in his friend's direction, tossing Lobomon's long, wolf-printed scarf back over his shoulder. "_After_ we get the D-Tector out. Those wires could short-circuit it."

"Almost done!" Beatlemon called down, followed by a few bright sparks as one of the thicker wires were cut. "Just a couple more…whoops!"

The last wire came loose with an unexpected snap of kinetically-born energy. The black device leapt from Beatlemon's hands, plummeting down through the air for split seconds that seemed to be quite a bit longer, before clipping the side of Ron's head and landing squarely in Harry's hands.

"Fer Cris' sake…" Ron swore painfully, rubbing his aching head sorely, then ducked to avoid the flat hand of an annoyed Hermione at his use of language.

Harry unfolded his hands to examine the black device with interest. It looked like one of Dudley's old game systems, but quite a bit more active. It beeped at him with a cheery tune and slowly flashed the odd purple symbol glowing on the screen.

"Here." he sighed simply, handing it to Kouichi.

The transfer smiled at him. "Thank you."

Their sleeves brushed against each other as he took it. For a moment, Harry's eyes focused on the two clashing colors of their linings…bright red against tattered, frayed green…and almost felt a split second of subliminally-registered symbolism. But it was only a fleeting moment, and seconds later it had gone, leaving only a gentle, knowing glint in Kouichi's blue eyes.

There was a crash from the hallway above, followed by the great beating of footsteps. Agunimon, Lobomon and Beatlemon tensed. "They're coming." The light-warrior hissed.

"Then let's get to this." Takuya growled, and punched his way through one of the huge consoles and ripping out a huge handful of wires.

Lobomon retrieved his sword from Beatlemon and made quick work of several connections, as the blue Digimon's electricity shorted every wire in the system. Izumi and Tomoki snatched out their own D-Tectors, changing into Kazemon and Kumamon in an instant, the first giving the nearest keyboard-interface a swift kick and the later freezing one of the huge machines to harsh fragility.

Soon the room was full of sparks and smoke, small fires erupting both from short circuits and Agunimon's power. It got bad enough that Hermione erected a minor shielding charm around the four who remained human, to stem off the smoke, but she couldn't do anything for the heat as they tried to find their way out the door.

Harry squinted past the flames, wand drawn and hand raised on instinct to protect from sparks. He could see the hallway past the transparent back of the bookcase, but how to get there was seaming a bit hard…

"Time to leave." Agunimon's voice sudden perked in his ears, and he felt himself being scooped off his feet. The Flame-Warrior bounded out into the hall and slide to a stop, followed by Beatlemon (with Ron in hand), Kazemon (carrying Hermione), Lobomon (plus Kouichi) and Kumamon, who was icing the flames as he backed out.

Lobomon turned his head slightly, a low growl rumbling from his throat. Kouichi looked up at him, blinking as though he'd only just woken up. "Kouji, what is it?"

"They're getting closer…" the wolf-warrior growled. "From both sides…"

Beatlemon turned his head as well, buzzing a bit. "Then we'll have to break through somehow."

"And how're we supposed to do that?" Harry asked, reaching for his wand.

Agunimon set him down on his feet, looking back and forth down the hall before taking a deep breath. "Okay then…Everybody stand back!"

The moment everyone had done as he'd asked, there was another flash of light as the voice rang out again. _"Agunimon…Slide Evolution!"_

With a slightly deafening roar, BurningGreymon reared up from the cocoon of data, raising his long claws back and stretching them towards the ceiling. He lunged at the nearest wall and slashed, crashing through the thick stone almost effortlessly.

The other Digimon instantly took it upon themselves to cover the humans from the falling debris, carrying them as they dove through the newly-created opening. They found themselves in a large, decorative hall that was easily big enough for eight more of them, as huge as their Digimon forms were, even with the large, highly decorated staircases stretching down from the upper levels. There were a pair of equally huge oak doors, decorated extensively with layers of black onyx, at the end of the hall, obviously leading out into the front gardens of the estate.

However, they also found themselves faced with at least twenty people stationed in front of those door, all of whom were wearing long dark cloaks and the signature white masks of the Death Eaters.

"…Darn." Takuya muttered in a low growl.

A low, haunting laugh echoed down from above. The group turned at the chill running up their collective spines, nine pairs of eyes turning up to the tall, dark figure above them.

Harry's eyes narrowed in fury. "Voldemort." He growled.

The tall, grotesquely pale creature allowed a sickly grin to spread over his snake-like features. "Well well. Harry Potter. Once again I find you meddling in my business." He chuckled softly, as golden eyes turned to the creatures now forming somewhat of a semi-circle around the unevolved humans. "And what do we have here? Digimon, in a complete, corporal form, even here? How intriguing…"

Kazemon adjusted her flight to hover just over the humans in the center. "Um… Kouichi-kun, do these goons know how to fight Digimon?"

"I don't know." the dark haired boy shook his head. "But we have to be careful."

Harry's eyes scanned around anxiously at the dozens of wands pointed directly at them. So many people, to fight them all would be suicide… "Our best shot is to head for the door."

"It's probably charmed." Hermione hissed as well. "We'd have to get a wand over there to figure it out."

"Then we'll do that." Lobomon growled.

Ron gulped slightly, looking around at the Death Eaters with anxious anticipation. "Why haven't they attacked yet?"

"They're waiting for us to move." Beatlemon whispered, but was cut off by yet another sickening laugh.

"Already planning your escape, are you?" the snake-creature laughed deeply, removing his own wand from deep inside his cloak. "I wouldn't count on it, children. Your precious Headmaster isn't around to save you this time."

"So what!" Beatlemon shouted, lunging at a group of Death Eaters with lightening sparking around his fists.

A chorus of spells rang out, accompanied by many different-colored flashes of spells that ricocheted into and off of Beatlemon's armor. The blue Digimon was temporarily blinded, which turned out pretty bad for the Death Eaters as he came crashing into them.

As if on cue, the Digimon burst forward in all directions, knocking the Death Eaters back as un-lethally as possible. Hermione lunged for the door, under Kazemon's spinning kicks, aiming her wand at the semi-small keyhole in the black onyx. _"Alohomora!"_

Green sparks shot out, but nothing happened. "You said it would take more than that!" Ron exclaimed, racing over and trying to cover Harry and Kouichi as he went.

"This is just for starters!" the girl snapped, starting in on another spell of green sparks, one that seamed to be taking much longer.

The Death Eaters rose up again, a few managing to duck under the Digimon and aim spells at the humans. Harry released Kouichi's arm for just long enough to whip out his wand, aiming several Stupefy spells before activating a Shield Charm…

_"Execute, Spirit Evolution!"_

The red and blue spells that had been heading straight towards them were suddenly blocked, but not by his shielding charm. It was blocked by an almost see-through purple shield, shaped like a lion and borne by and equally lion-like figure, covered completely in black armor. It held the shield steady against the charms before falling back to catch his breath.

It took a moment for Harry to put the pieces together. "Kou…Kouichi?"

The lion-like Digimon glanced at him with a grin showing in his brown eyes. "I don't have enough…energy…left to fight…" he sighed. "But the least I can do is cover for you guys."

Harry grinned, turning back to fire his spells as the Digimon held off the attacks. Death Eaters occasionally got in a shot or two, mostly in the gaps of the Digimon's armor, but very rarely a spell slid past Lowemon's shield, such as the sudden burn Harry received across his right shoulder.

"Enough of this." Voldemort growled, raising his wand into the air. "_Accia Dementa!_"

An all-too-familiar, icy feeling sudden fell over the entry hall. Harry spun around, just in time to catch sight of the Dementor flying down from the ceiling before the screams began yet again.

Harry instantly covered his ears, though he knew it would be no use. Beside him, Hermione's wand hand was trembling terrible as she tried desperately to finish her spell. Both she and Ron had gone desperately pale, the later reaching out to grab Hermione's wrist, trying to help keep her steady. (One could only assume that was what the arm around her waist was for as well…)

The Digimon-Transfers seamed to be having just as bad a time, if not somewhat worse. Lobomon's strikes were off, unheard of for the warrior's skill, while Kazemon and Beatlemon's flying had become shaky and uneven. Agunimon and Kumamon were now both aiming for the Dementor and not having any luck, even when they hit.

The sounds of his mother's screaming grew louder and louder as more and more Dementors streaked in. Death Eaters were screaming and running, leaving the demons to do their work. Harry pulled out his wand shakily and raised it as best he could, focusing on the memory of the night in third year, when Sirius had promised to give him another home…

_"Expecto…Patronum!"_

A thick mist blasted from the wand, stemming off the Dementors for only a moment, but it was enough to muffle the screams of the past. Harry shook his head sharply, clearing his thoughts as best he could, searching for another happy memory.

There was a loud thump next to him, startling him slightly. Lowemon was shaking terribly, brown eyes darkening behind his mask. He had dropped to one knee and was gasping for breath, one arm around his stomach and the other clutching his staff for painful support.

For a moment the black armor flickered in and out, then it disappeared with a flash of blue 'data', leaving Kouichi on hands and knees, gasping for breath with his hands reaching up to tug at his collar.

"Nii-san!" Lobomon growled, turning his head back for just a moment before he had to whip around again to defend against one of the Dementors.

Ron responded instead, taking out his wand while keeping one hand around Hermione's wrist. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

His happy idea must have been a strong one, as a fully-corporeal, unusually large white ferret shot from the mist his wand expelled. The Patronus lunged and the nearest Dementor, sinking its sharp teeth deep in the creature's withered, black-cloaked arm, tearing at it with its jagged front claws. The Dementor shrieked as the glowing ferret pushed it back away from the humans and chased it back to wince it came before disappearing again.

Harry raced forward, planting his feet a short ways away from Kouichi and pointing his wand directly at two Dementors coming towards them. His mind latched onto the memory of his parents in the Mirror of Erised, smiling and waving at him with joy in their eyes…

_"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

His wand gave a tremendous jerk as the billowing white smoke and stunning silver stage burst out into the room. The two Dementors it had been aimed at, plus two others, were tossed out of the way like rag dolls on its horns. The fear-demons shrieked again as Ron's ferret returned, biting and scratching, backed up by a suddenly-slide-evolved KendoGururumon's blast of light-bullets.

A rain of green sparks flashed from the lock as Hermione's wand jumped back. "Got it!" she called, giving the doors a hard push as they swung open, almost on their own.

Harry looped his arm under Kouichi's, pulling the transfer up as best he could while keeping his wand ready and his eyes trained on the galloping Patronus. From the stairs an inferno of malice radiated, and Lord Voldemort roared.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

The Dementors lunged again, but now they were weakened and easily thrown back by collective efforts of several Digimon and three Patronuses. At this Voldemort himself raised his wand again, pointing directly at Harry as he helped Kouichi up onto KendoGururumon's back…

"I don't think so." BurningGreymon growled, grabbing the offending wizard by the waist in one of his huge claws. The Warrior of Fire jerked the feared 'Lord Voldemort' into the air so fiercely that the phoenix-hair wand dropped from his hands. "I'll teach you to mess with our second home!"

His low roar was combined with Voldemort's scream of fury as he lifted the so-called Dark Lord back over his shoulder and threw him squarely back through the open doors at the very top of the stairs. There were several loud crashing noises that made it apparent Voldemort had gone through at least on set of door and perhaps a nice bookshelf, but his angered cries indicated that he was still kicking, somewhere.

"_Now_ we can get out of here." BurningGreymon grinned, scooping up Ron, Junpei and Tomoki (both of whom had DeDigivolved). "Before the reinforcements get their second wind."

KendoGururumon growled in agreement, keeping his head as still as possible so Kouichi and Harry could keep a better grip. Kazemon swooped down on her way out and lifted Hermione into her arms, speeding out into the dark forest once more.

Harry turned back in his place, watching the blazing remains of the Malfoy Mansion's west wing fade into the night. He smiled a bit to himself, absently rubbing a bleeding spell burn on his right shoulder. They'd gotten out, with everyone, Kouichi included. They were going back to Hogwarts, as a team. No one was dead. He should be feeling happy, right?

…Right?

**__**

TBC…

Heh heh…I don't know what made me think of Ron's Patronus as a ferret. They're always calling him weasel and Rowling-sama's even commentated that she based the Weasley name off the word. But ferrets are like weasels, only a tad bit cuter. And it suits him, doesn't it?

I still can't believe I posted an unfinished chapter…(crawls off into a corner and hides) I feel duuuumb…


	38. Never That Easy

You know what? Originally, I was going to try and wrap everything up in this chapter. Then I realized that would be sloppy and anti-climatic, so I worked with ideas that I got from your reviews and extended it a bit. Enjoy.

By the way, three things. One, I finished _The Half Blood Prince _the day after I got it, and I have to admit it was much darker than I expected, but still a good book. Two, if you like Harry Potter, you should really read the _Artemis Fowl_ series. It's my absolute favorite fantasy series. And two, it's currently August 5th. Not only does this mean I've been on for two whole years, but it also means that the fourth Digimon Movie broadcasts for the first time tomorrow and Sunday! Yippee!

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

Chapter 38: Never That Easy

"All right!"

BurningGreymon's excited whoop echoed around the small group as they kept moving. It'd been several long hours since their escape from the Malfoy mansion, and they were still on a nice, direct course back to Hogwarts. Though they were all tired, the Digimon Spirits were so happy to be running that the humans using them couldn't care less how worn out they were.

The 'passengers' had sort've shuffled and redealt themselves amongst the Digimon as they moved. Harry was now being carried by BurningGreymon, talking softly with Takuya and Tomoki while Junpei slept. Hermione and Ron were now with KendoGururumon, while Zyphermon carried Kouichi. The Warrior of Light was a little annoyed with this situation…naturally enough, he'd wanted to make sure his brother was okay…but Kouichi was several levels beyond worn out, and falling asleep while riding something is a good way to drop off, in more ways than one.

Tomoki muffled a small yawn, rubbing one eye sleepily. "How far are we from school, anyway?"

"Not far." Hermione called up. She was watching the stars carefully as they went. "I'd give it another ten minutes until we reach the grounds. Maybe less."

Ron looked around somewhat nervously. "Er…does that mean we are where I think we are?"

"Oh, lighten up, Ron." Harry craned his neck over the edge of BurningGreymon's arm. "It's not like we haven't been in the Forbidden Forest before."

The red head turned to give his friend a cold, almost sick look. Harry just grinned at him, but the truth was he had a sinking feeling in his stomach as well. This wasn't right. They'd done what they needed to do, they'd gotten Kimura back, everyone was safe and sound, and most importantly, no one was dead. So why on Earth did he have this disgustingly sick feeling in the very pit of his stomach, like he was going to be sick…?

KendoGururumon shook his head slightly with a soft little growl, turning his head up to look at the flying purple Digimon above him. "…How is he?"

Zyphermon smiled, looking down at the dark-haired figure in her arms. "He's still out cold. Poor Kouichi-kun, he's completely exhausted."

The boy shifted slightly, burying his eyes in Zyphermon's arm, mumbling in his sleep. The wind warrior had to smile again, even more gently. It's true of most people, especially teenagers, that they look utterly angelic in their sleep, and the Warrior of Darkness was no different. The mother in Izumi was tickled pink at the 'kawaii-ness' of it all.

The silence of the forest was suddenly broken by an unusual sound. A series of fast, high-pitched, metallic beeps floated over them at a rapid pace, barely pausing half a second between one squeak and the next. In truth, it sounded like a cricket's chirp, synthesized by a computer and sped up quadruple time.

Junpei jerked from his stupor, blinking around half-heartedly. "Wha…Whazzat sound?"

"Beats me." Takuya turned his dragon-like head back and forth, the Digimon's extrasensory hearing driving him crazy. "May this place has some huge crickets."

"It sounds…metallic." Tomoki mentioned softly, cupping a hand around his ear.

Zyphermon's ears twitched, trying to figure out where the sound came from, but she was distracted by a sudden movement from the boy in her arms. Kouichi groaned audibly, shifted painfully, and gasped for breath heavily, as though a great weight was being pressed on his chest.

A wave of worry slid over Zyphermon's face. "Kouichi-kun?" She asked softly, her voice hidden by the beeping.

The boy groaned, shifting in a way that made it hard for her to keep a hold on him. He was gripping something between his hands…his D-Tector she saw after a moment, and it was acting strange. The screen was glowing bright white and flickering with each of the beeps.

Wait a minute…_That's _where the noise was coming from!

"Guys, something's wrong!" She called, putting on the brakes and hovering in mid-air.

KendoGururumon's head snapped up first. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure…" Izumi shook the boy in her arms gently, trying to wake him up. "But he's not doing so good. I think something might be…"

Kouichi's eyes sudden shot open and he sat up suddenly with a slight cry. Zyphermon flared her wings and looked about to respond, but suddenly a the beeping increased to an ear-splitting level and a huge burst of light shot from the machine and swallowed the Digimon with a frantic scream.

"Kouichi!" KendoGururumon growled, eyes widening as the human and Digimon fell separately from the light like rag dolls.

"Izumi!" BurningGreymon exclaimed, tossing Harry and Tomoki unceremoniously into the other arm and lunging.

There was a long moment of apprehension, followed by two loud thumps and a groan of pain as Zyphermon landed on BurningGreymon's arm as the huge fire-type Digimon caught Kouichi in the same huge claw.

"Nice catch!" Ron called up, pumping his fists.

Harry sat up from where he'd been thrown, helping Tomoki turn right side up as he looked over at Zyphermon, who was sitting herself up. "What happened?"

"I don't really know…" She groaned, rubbing her head, then something above them caught her eye. "Look!"

Heads snapped up in the direction the female Digimon was pointing. The flash of light had practically solidified, turning into a cocoon of bright blue 'data', hovering in the hair. It grew larger and larger for a moment, until it was big enough to hold a hippogriff, when it suddenly burst open with another huge flash.

The group found themselves staring, dumbfounded. The creature that had emerged from the cocoon was easily the ugliest thing they'd ever seen.

It had the emerald-green body of a giant, obviously venomous snake, at least fifty feet long and twenty in diameter, with the scaly black wings of a Hungarian Horntail on its back. Its face looked vaguely like a snake, but was ringed with a thick, dark brown mane and the beak of a giant raven. Under the mane were two furry, black, clawed hands that belonged on a raccoon or badger.

"What…What is that thing?" Ron whispered in shock.

"A Digimon?" Tomoki asked out loud.

"I've never seen a Digimon like that." BurningGreymon growled low in his throat. "It doesn't…doesn't feel right."

"Konton…" Several pairs of eyes snapped down to the struggling boy, just barely conscious in the huge Digimon's claw. Kouichi gasped for breath, face flushed and sweating as though he had a terrible fever. "Motarasu…Konton…How? I didn't…didn't tell him anything…"

It hit Harry quiet suddenly, and he cursed himself for not remembering sooner. "You didn't have to…"

"What was that?" KendoGururumon growled, glancing at the boy but keeping one eye on the creature in front of them.

"Voldemort's a Legilimens." Hermione whispered, looking terrified. "He can… 'read' thoughts. Even if you don't tell him anything, he could still find out about…"

"Oh no." Junpei groaned, looking up at the creature. "Don't tell me _he_ made that thing!"

The Digimon above them made a loud, resounding noise that sounded like a cross between a shriek, a roar and hiss. The huge creature flapped its gargantuan wings, lifting high into the air, over the trees, and…

Turned away from them, heading pointedly in the other direction.

The group of battle-tense humans and Digimon were taken aback slightly, but seconds later it clicked.

"The school!" Hermione shrieked. "It's heading for Hogwarts!"

"Then what're we waiting for?" KendoGururumon growled, anger routed deep in the depths of his tone. "Hold on tight."

He lowered the wheels that rested on the edge of his paws, revving them up against the hard ground. Hermione and Ron quickly did as he'd asked, the latter gripping the edge of his breastplate, the former wrapping her arms around the latter's waist, making the latter turn a remarkable shade of scarlet.

"Izumi?" Junpei asked worriedly.

The purple Digimon sat up, shaking herself off as best she could. "I'm fine." she sighed, standing to balance momentarily on BurningGreymon's wing. "You two better Digivolve, and fast! We gotta go!"

With a great flurry of her silver hawk wings, she'd taken to the sky again, following the disgusting creature's path through the sky. KendoGururumon lunged forward, the wheels on his paws increasing his speed to zoom straight through the trees at breakneck speeds, his two 'passengers' hanging on for dear life.

There were two flashes of light and another rush of wind. Moments later, BurningGreymon came crashing through the trees, knocking several of them down, with Kumamon and MetalKabutarimon sliding/flying on either side.

Harry gripped the edge of the creature's arm with one hand, reaching for his wand with the other. He glanced over at Kimura, who was slumped over, his head lying on his arms, still suffering from the 'fever' he'd obtained during the appearance of the Digimon.

Harry felt a furious rage rise up in his chest, a kind of determined hatred. Thinking back, he could see the look on Voldemort's face when Kouichi had Digivolved to 'cover' him during the battle. A cold, knowing, venomous look…

_He'd planned this_. He'd done something, somehow, to Kouichi D-Tector, something that made…_this_ happen. To get Hogwarts? To attack Dumbledore, on his home turf? Either way, it made Harry furious in a way he'd never known.

Takuya had called the Digital World his second home. Now Harry was going to protect his first.

**__**

TBC…

Hoe-ee…(cornered by a lot of angry-looking people) I'm sorry! The battle scene is taking forever, I just thought you might like to know what's going on! I'll it finished before I start school next week, I promise! Aaaah!


	39. Under Seige

I'm really sorry I didn't get this up in a week like I said I would, but this battle scene just…wouldn't come out right. So I finally went forward and wrote the peaceful last chapter before coming back here and attempting to piece everything together. Oy vey.

I was surprised, however, that only one person got that I fit all four of the Hogwarts House Mascots were put into the one creature. No, it doesn't have a name. It's just a twisted creation of Voldemort's and my own design. I didn't even get the original idea. That was the Digimon Emperor's doing.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

Chapter 39: Under Siege

The dark night was just starting to fade to a light gray as the orange-red sun rose over the edge of the horizon. It must have been about four or five in the morning, but no one who was awake at this hour cared about sleep. Especially not the odd caravan following behind a huge behemoth that seamed to sewn together from several creatures whose only similarity was that they all appeared on one particular school crest.

The Digimon's glares and expressions were locked sternly on their target as they ran, flew, slid and drove over the rocky ground. The humans with them were equally focused, save the one who was only barely clinging to consciousness.

Kumamon launched the first attack. "Blizzard Blaster!" He shouted, firing snowball after snowball at the creature.

The monster roared when it was hit, turning around suddenly. It fired twin beams of golden light from its digging-claws, which Kumamon and MetalKabutarimon both just barely avoided. It left two deep craters in the ground.

"Man!" MetalKabutarimon exclaimed, increasing his speed. "This really bites!"

"If that thing gets to the school, we won't be able to stop it!" Zyphermon called, increasing her pace as well to get ahead of the behemoth. Kumamon did the same as they burst out from the trees, onto the green fields of the main grounds.

KendoGururumon and BurningGreymon both stopped, setting the humans down on the ground. "You guys gotta stay back." the fire-warrior growled. "This is gonna get rough."

KendoGururumon nodded slightly, but his blue eyes were on Kouichi as Harry and Ron helped him down from BurningGreymon's hold. He glanced seriously at the three British wizards. "…Take care of him."

Harry locked eyes with him a moment, then nodded. "Leave it to us."

The Warrior of Light growled softly in what Harry could only assume was thanks. Then he lowered his wheels and shot out from the trees, BurningGreymon right on his heels.

"Can they do this?" Hermione whispered softly, casting a small cooling charm on the transfer's fevered brow.

"Of course they can." Harry muttered, watching as the demon-creature attacked, this time with blue blazes fired off his raven-wings. "They have to."

A blaze of spell-light suddenly shot from the direction of the school, slamming into the side of the monstrous Digimon. Hermione snapped her head up with a slightly horrified gasp. "Oh god…It's the teachers!"

Harry's head snapped up as well. There were several tall, dark shapes running up from the castle, each bearing a wand and aimed for the fighting monsters above them. "They can't stand up to that thing!" Hermione exclaimed. "Those Digimon are _immune_ to magic!"

Harry frowned, remembering the ape-like creature that had appeared in Hogsmeade. "She's right." he called to Ron, pulling Kouichi's arm over his shoulders. "Come on, we've gotta stop them!"

"Who? The Digimon?"

"The _teachers_!" Harry snapped, as the red head hurried over to help with the all-but-unconscious Japanese boy.

Hermione had already ran a short ways ahead, up the hill to the line of shadowed shapes, waving her arms wildly. "Professor McGonagall! Professor Dumbledore! Please, stop!"

One of the shapes…Professor McGonagall…jerked suddenly and spun to face the approaching girl. "Miss Granger!" She exclaimed shrilly. "What in the name of Merlin are you three doing out here?"

"It's a…long story…" Hermione said rather weakly.

"As always?" Dumbledore asked quietly, with a low undertone of knowing amusement.

"Unfortunately." Harry muttered, as he and Ron trudged up the hill with Kouichi in tow.

Professor McGonagall gasped again. "Kimura! What on earth…?"

Dumbledore raised a hand to cut her off, whipping out his wand, not to attack the monstrosity, but to wordlessly conjure up a stretcher to take the Japanese boy off Harry and Ron's hands. Kouichi was still just barely clinging to consciousness, looking up at the fuzzy white shape leaning over him. "Pro…fessor?"

"Don't you worry, boy." Dumbledore whispered softly, putting his wand gently next to the boy's temple. "You're back where you belong."

A small puff of smoky white air wafted out of the wand tip, over Kouichi's eyes. A moment later he was out cold, comfortably asleep to recover his energy.

"Now." Dumbledore said seriously, turning to Harry and the others as an explosion echoed dangerously close. "Those creatures are getting closer. It would be wise for us to retreat and regroup."

He waved his wand, moving the stretcher over to Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey, both of whom were retreating back up towards the school building. Professor Sprout and Madam Hooch were 'covering' them, as well as the other teachers who were quickly retreating back to the safety of the castle walls as the Headmaster had ordered. Professors McGonagall and Snape, however, came right up to Dumbledore's side, staring at the odd group of creatures still fighting, their motions framed by the knarled trees of the Forbidden Forest behind them.

"What are they?" Snape hissed softly, his thin eyebrows knotting together in furious thought.

Dumbledore turned his blue eyes to Harry, kindly. The dark-haired boy shifted slightly, gazing towards the fray, his muscles tense and ready for action. "They're…they're called…Digi…"

"WATCH OUT!"

Heads snapped one by one as the creature reared back, screeching loudly in a voice that was neither bird nor truly animal like. Its blood red eyes turned suddenly to the humans moving up the hillside. With another unholy shriek it opened is mouth, gathering another blaze of crimson red fire.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, eyes widening.

"If it fires now, it'll hit the school!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry snatched out his wand, despite his mind's protests that it was useless. His emerald green eyes blazed fiercely in anger, racing through the spells even as the fireball was released…

"Potter, get down!"

Zyphermon suddenly swooped past, snatching up both him and Hermione in one fell swoop, as Kumamon, riding on a stream of ice, knocked Ron, Snape and McGonagall backwards rather unceremoniously. _"Kumamon, Slide Evolution!" _The white bear exclaimed, rolling up into the cocoon of blue data. _"Korikakumon!"_

The cocoon burst outward in a flare of sparks, as a huge, white, beast-like creature reared up where the bear had been, about two feet from Ron and the teachers. He uncurled just in time to block the fire-attack. There was a ring of scorched grass left just behind him, and his fur was a bit blackened. But other than that, everyone seamed okay.

"Woah…" Harry whispered, looking down at the huge white creature. "Is that… Tomoki?"

A low growl rumbled out of Korikakumon's throat, glancing back at Ron as Professor Snape hoisted him roughly up by one arm. "You okay, Weasley?"

Ron stuttered out an affirmative as Zyphermon landed, setting Hermione and Harry down on their feet. "Don't worry, Professors." She said softly, looking at Snape and at McGonagall. There was a strange kind of determination in her raptor-like blue eyes. "We won't let him get anywhere near the school!"

With one powerful flap of her great gray wings, she took to the sky, Korikakumon thudding after her with remarkable agility. Ice-laced axes and hurricane-strength winds joined fireballs, thunderbolts and beams of white-hot light, each striking the abomination in its turn, leaving nary a mark but slowly chipping away at it.

McGonagall stared after Zyphermon with a small spark of recognition. "Orimoto…"

Snap spun on his heels, his fierce glare now focused on Harry. "What are these creatures, Potter?" He snapped ferociously. "Speak!"

Harry hissed softly under his breath. Takuya and the others had trusted him, had trusted _them_. They'd all spoken so fondly of the Digital World and the Digimon, the place they called a second home. And now here they were, fighting with all the strength these Digimon had given them. How much could tell Snape, tell Dumbledore, and not betray that trust?

A lithe, gloved hand suddenly descended to pat his shoulder warmly. Harry looked up to find Dumbledore standing above him, his blue-eyed gaze locked on Snape. "This, Severus, is not the time." He whispered, soft yet still stern. "For now, we must focus on keeping the students inside the school until this danger has past."

His hand was suddenly gone as he gave orders to the teachers. Harry only vaguely heard his instructions, like mumbled words through the static of a radio. Keep the students confined to their dormitories and common rooms…Barricade all outside doors until further notice…

But Harry wasn't concentrating on that. His mind was whirling, watching the Digimon fight. The attacks seamed to connect, but…no, his sharp Seeker's eyes could see the truth. The monster Voldemort had created was dodging the attacks, its snakelike body moving deftly out of the way at the very last instant, firing attacks from its mouth, its fangs, its claws, its wings…For it to work, it had to hold _still_…

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, and he found that he'd begun to move forward, his pace getting rapidly faster and faster until he was running into the heart of the battle. His wand was gripped tightly in his hand, and a familiar kind of fire rushed through his veins as he slid to a stop just under the creature's belly.

"Potter?" MetalKabutarimon exclaimed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" KendoGururumon snapped, but Harry didn't listen for a moment as he whipped his wand to aim at the creature's soft underbelly.

_"Incarcerous!"_ He yelled, and sudden, thick ropes shot from his wand, wrapping around the creature's wide torso. He grabbed the end at the last minute, pulling with all his might, though the strength of the creature nearly threw him off his feet.

"What in all the hells?" BurningGreymon roared suddenly, eyes widening.

Harry planted his feet as best he could, being dragged forward. He felt himself being lifted off his feet, tossed into the air…

And suddenly caught by a pair of hands much larger than his own.

He opened his eyes, blinking to find himself being supported just barely off the ground by large blue-gloved hands. He looked up to find himself being gripped firmly around the waist by MetalKabutarimon.

The bug-type Digimon looked down, a cocky grin showing in his eyes. "I think you got something there, pal." He nodded simply, revving up the 'wheels' that he used to move. "But I think we need a little more pull. Wrap that thing around my arm."

It took a moment for Harry to realize what he meant, then he quickly wrapped the rope three times around the Digimon's arm, tying it tight. "Good. Get a couple more."

"Gotcha." Harry muttered, and aimed his wand again. _"Incarcerous!"_

Ropes shot out again. From behind them, two voices also called out at once. _"Incarcerous!"_

Harry spun around as two more ropes wrapped tight around the monster's body. Hermione and Ron raced forward, tossing their ropes to Harry and taking aim for two more. A dozen ropes tied and MetalKabutarimon's arm was filled up.

"All right, hang on." The beetle-type Digimon growled.

His wheels went almost instantly into reverse, revving a moment before shoot backwards. Harry's wind was knocked out of him from the force, and he had barely caught it again when the ropes jerked to a sudden stop.

"This is gonna get rough…" MetalKabutarimon growled low in his throat. The wheels began to smoke against the rocky ground.

The monster screamed loudly as its torso was pulled down within five feet of the ground. MetalKabutarimon's wheels screamed in protest, the smoke rising higher, thicker, faster. Harry was having a hard time seeing past the thick gray smog…

_SNAP!_

Oh no…

_SNAP! SNAP!_

Harry's eyes widened in horror as three ropes gave way almost simultaneously. The others were only now getting on their last legs, pulled thin and much too taunt to hold anything for long. MetalKabutarimon groaned, the pressure getting to be too much even for his tough body.

Then, quite suddenly, something else appeared. A net, drawn with ropes of bright red, suddenly flying over the creature's body. Harry, still holding desperately on to his place, spun around to find the enchanted net being conducted by Dumbledore as though leading a band. The net hovered above the creature a moment, then descended, wrapping itself around the creature. Its wings were pinned to its sides, as were its claw-like arms. With another swipe of the Headmaster's wand it fell as though weighted, letting out an unearthly shriek as it hit the ground.

"All right!" BurningGreymon roared loudly, beating his chest in an almost animalistic manner. He bared his claws and gnashed his teeth, a familiar fire in his eyes.

"We're gettin' him this time!" Korikakumon grunted, planting his feet and taking careful aim. "Avalanche Axes!"

Zyphermon's wings spread wide as she lifted up above them. "Hurricane Gale!"

"Lightening Blitz!" MetalKabutarimon's twin balls of lightening shot forth, almost completely forgetting about Harry as he clung for his life.

"Lupine Laser!" KendoGururumon growled, firing the bolts from strong wolf-jaws.

BurningGreymon growled softly, focusing his energy. He stomped small craters into the ground, spreading his arms and wings wide with a blast of fire. "Wildfire Tsunami!"

The attacks seamed to combine in mid-air, striking the monstrosity all at once. Harry was flung free, tumbling head-over-heels before landing hard. A huge cloud of smoke rose into the air, covering the world around and over them with white. A huge roar rang through the dim light of sunrise.

Harry coughed roughly, forcing air back into his lungs. He sat up, blinking around blurrily for their opponent, but his vision swam before him, and even if it wasn't, the air he breathed was so thick with dust and smoke that it was impossible to see more than vague shadows.

One of those shadows was moving towards him. Most were on the ground, pretty much unmoving, but there was one moving towards him. Harry blinked at it, wondering vaguely what it could be.

Takuya Kanbara came stumbling out of the fog, blinking at Harry as though confused. Then he smiled a wide, tired smile. "Guess we showed 'em, huh?"

With that, he fell over, and darkness claimed Harry's senses again.

**__**

TBC…


	40. Finally Home

Argh. Finales are so hard to write…And it was sooo hard to get Ginny and Tomoki's relationship, knowing what she's going to turn out like with Harry in _Half Blood Prince_…

…Seriously, guys, what's left there to say? Check the bottom for my big announcement.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

Chapter 40: Finally Home

"My, he really looks like hell, doesn't he?"

"It's not funny, Agunimon. That forced transfer could have killed him!"

Kouichi groaned softly, opening his eyes to blink up at the dark, smooth red of the Rose Morning Star castle. His head was pounding savagely, and his limbs felt vaguely like lead, but otherwise he seemed to be mostly in one piece.

Agunimon and Kazemon were hovering nearby, in the middle of a rather entertaining argument. Lowemon was knelling next to him, smiling down behind his mask. "Well now." The lion-like Digimon whispered softly. "Looks like you're doing better."

Kouichi rubbed his eye sleepily. "Lowe…mon?"

"That's right." Lowemon gently helped the boy sit up, allowing him to lean against him. "It's good that you're conscious. We were worried about you."

Kouichi groaned slightly and held his head, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to him. "Lowemon…That Digimon. The one at the school. What…what happened?"

"Don't you worry." The Warrior of Darkness soothed. "Everything's just fine."

"Yeah." Agunimon winked merrily as he and Kazemon instantly forgot their little snit. "The others took care of 'em for yeh. Even Potter and Dumbledore helped out. It was a blast."

Kouichi blinked at him groggily, somewhat placated, but lines of worry still wreathed his face. "But…what was it? That creature…How did it…"

"Easy, easy." Kazemon soothed, silencing and cooling him at the same time with a gentle gust of wind that blew his bangs away from his eyes. "Don't overwork yourself. You still don't have a lot of energy left."

Kouichi shifted, allowing himself to be supported by Lowemon's arms, holding him steady as the Digimon explained everything that had happened. They explained about the nameless, unholy creature that Voldemort had created by tapping in through Kouichi's Digivice. They explained about the virus that the Dark Lord's technicians had installed in said D-Tector, causing Kouichi's connection with the Digital World to short-circuit and bring the creature into the Real World.

"It wasn't your fault." Kazemon added quickly, noticing the sudden guilty gaze on the boy's face. "There wasn't anything you could do to help it. The energy was just too much."

"No joke." Agunimon shook his head as though trying to clear his mind. "It nearly killed you anyway, all that energy. If it wasn't for Lowemon here, you'd be dead by now."

Kouichi snapped his head up, blinking at the black-armored figure, who coughed slightly and glanced away. Kazemon, on the other hand, didn't even bother trying to conceal the wide smile that crossed her face. "Yep! He's been right here all week, wouldn't even budge. Lobomon tried to get him away at one point, but that sure didn't work. He's barely moved."

Lowemon coughed slightly, as though telling the others to shut up. Kouichi, however, had already given his dear friend a soft smile of thanks, and suddenly jumped to another subject. "All _week_?"

The group glanced at each other awkwardly. "Uh…Yeah. About that." Agunimon laughed softly.

Lowemon cut him off with a gentle voice. "You've been unconscious over a week now. The others have been worried."

"A week?" Kouichi nearly jolted straight up, but his aching bones hindered that to a small jerk and a groan. "Oh…I can't stay…The others…"

"Easy, easy." Lowemon soothed, tenderly lying his charge back, brushing his hair out from his eyes. "Just relax…Nothing's going to happen, nothing's wrong…Just close your eyes…"

Kouichi, however tired he was, didn't want to relax just yet. "What about…Voldemort?"

"Don't worry." Agunimon winked as the darkness started to cloud the boy's vision and hearing again. "Angewomon and the others are making sure that nobody around here has to worry about him again…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"…So you see, Professor, we can't let the information about the Digital World leak out. The Digimon are depending on us."

Izumi's voice echoed around his head painfully, and the bright lights shining through his eyelids was almost unbearable. He groaned slightly, squeezing his eyes a bit more closed, then risked opening them to look up at the unfortunately familiar white marble ceiling of the Hospital Wing.

"I understand, Miss Orimoto." Dumbledore's soft voice echoed gently. "But do understand that some precautions will be taken, outside of the public eye. We can't risk something like this again."

He heard the words, but for some reason he didn't quite understand. A single thought formed itself in his mind, so he acted on it, pulling himself into a sitting position and blinking at the white curtains around him.

"Holy…Kouichi!"

The teen looked blurrily around. The voice had come from Takuya, sitting on the edge of the bed across from him, where Harry was with bandages freshly removed from his shoulder. Ron and Hermione were on either side of their friend, while Izumi was on Kouichi's right, talking to Dumbledore from her place on the bed. The Headmaster was pacing slowly up and down the middle aisle between the beds, Tomoki and Junpei wandering along either side.

Kouji, who had been in the bed to Kouichi's left, suddenly tossed the covers off and jumped up, scrambling to his brother's side. "Nii-san."

Kouichi smiled, finally recognizing what someone had said to him. _"…Ohayoo, minna-san." _He mumbled in a gentle, bright tone.

The group was suddenly active as the five other Legendary Warriors swarmed around him with various hugs, tears and 'thank-the-lord's. Amongst all the commotion, Junpei managed to have enough sense to grab Kouichi's translation charm off the bedside and hand it to the patient, letting him reinsert it into his right ear.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, coming up to the bedside as the crowd dissipated, all but Kouji, who remained firmly attached to his brother's arm as though afraid he would disappear if released.

"Well, Mr. Kimura." The Headmaster said with a warm, kind smile. "I see you have decided to return to the land of the conscious."

For a moment, Kouichi thought of Lowemon and the others and he smiled. Dumbledore nodded before continuing. "Though I'm sure you will be thrilled to learn that you have managed to sleep through your final exams."

"Oops." Kouichi laughed awkwardly.

"Indeed." Dumbledore sat at the end of the boy's bed, nodding to Kouji kindly. "And I'm certain your friends are happy to see you well, but there is a slight matter at hand. Miss Orimoto and Mr. Kanbara were just explaining to me about the creatures which appeared outside the school the night of your rescue…"

"The Digimon." Kouichi interrupted softly. "Please don't called them 'creatures', Professor. They're not pets, they're friends."

"Yeah, the best!" Takuya chimed in, accompanied by frantic nods from the other Transfers. Even Harry found himself agreeing, though he couldn't have had enough experience to know.

Dumbledore raised a hand and a smile to placate them. "All right, then. Your friends here were just telling me about these…Digimon, and of your connection with their world."

Kouichi shifted slightly, and looked down at his hands slightly nervously. Kouji patted his arm comfortingly.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Kouichi." Dumbledore said softly. "You or your friends. If it weren't for your being here, we would not know what to do during Voldemort's assault. However…we can't deny that the Digital World is potentially a threat."

Harry couldn't keep quiet any more. "No it's not!" He exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "Professor, I don't think the Digital World's a threat at all!"

"Yeah!" Hermione added, straightening herself. "And that thing that appeared wasn't even a _real_ Digimon, was it? You guys said it yourselves, you've never seen anything like it!"

"It was V-Voldemort's fault, the whole bloody thing!" Ron insisted, nodding feverishly. "As long as another nut case doesn't get at 'em, they're not bothering anybody!"

Dumbledore motioned with his hands again, calming them all down ever so slightly. "Enough, enough. I do understand, and agree. The Digimon and Digital World are, indeed, _not_ a threat…As long as they are kept a secret. Good knowledge in the wrong hands can do much damage."

Shining blue eyes turned coolly to Harry, Hermione and Ron each in turn. "As Miss Orimoto said, it must be kept a secret, for everyone's sake. Do you understand?"

"No duh!" Ron nearly shouted, earning him a 'shush' from Madam Pomfrey.

"We wouldn't tell a soul!" Hermione agreed shrilly.

Kouji narrowed his eyes at Harry, the deep sense of distrust radiating from them as strongly as the day they had met. Kouichi glanced at him in concern, mostly likely sensing his brother's untrusting nature stronger than ever. "Kouji…" The elder whispered anxiously, his voice rising almost to a whine.

Harry pulled the covers off of himself, standing shakily to cross and match Kouji glare for glare. Harry's gaze, however, was one of invitation, trying to gain what trust the boy might be holding back.

"We won't tell anyone. We promise." Harry said softly, his shoulder moving into a tiny bow almost on automatic. "You can trust us. Don't worry."

Kouji glared at him a moment longer, then snapped his head away with a stubborn 'hn'. Kouichi, on the other hand, smiled warmly.

"Then it's settled." Dumbledore said softly, standing. "All mention of the Digital World shall not leave this room. The Ministry is, of course, looking in to these occurrences, but that should be easy enough to deal with."

He turned to leave, then paused a moment at the large door entering into the Hospital Wing. He turned and smiled. "Get some rest, all of you. I trust you're looking forward to going home in a few days."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The train ride home was considerably more rambunctious than the one to school. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the Transfers had somehow managed to organize themselves into two compartments directly across from each other. The Gryffindors were celebrating their sixth-straight win of the House Cup, even Takuya, though the transfers, quite frankly, didn't get the point. The others were simply putting up with it.

Ginny had her arm looped around Tomoki's, making both Ron and the youngest Transfer alternate through various shades of red. Izumi was teaching Hermione one of the funnier charms of the Eastern world, one to semi-animate origami figures. Currently, she had several purple and blue butterflies fluttering around their heads.

Quite suddenly, a certain blonde, seaming almost small without his usual flunkies, appeared in the hall. He stopped between the two compartments, glaring with icy blue eyes. Harry and Ron returned those glares, both starting to stand. "Malfoy." Ron growled low in his throat.

"What the hell do you want?" Harry practically snarled.

Draco lowered his glare at them both, then turned his head to the other compartment. Kouichi locked eyes with him a moment, then a soft smile spread over his lips. "Konichiwa, Draco-kun." He bowed quietly. "How have you been?"

Draco sighed, closing his eyes a moment, then removed a piece of parchment from his robe and held it out to the transfer. "…Here."

Kouichi took it curiously. "What is it?"

"Address. For the Malfoy summer home." Draco glanced at Harry with a sour gaze. "We're staying there for a while, as the manor needs to be…renovated."

Kouichi opened the page, scanning his eyes over the paper momentarily. Draco shrugged his shoulders, stalking off down the corridor. "…I'll keep in touch."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kouichi smiled and tucked the parchment away, leaning back into his seat with a content air. His housemate disappeared out the end of the car.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were livid. "You still trust that creep?" Ron exclaimed.

"After what he did?" Hermione added.

"They've got a point, Ichi-kin." Takuya mentioned, grinning slightly at both twins' disgusted faces at the odd nickname. "That's the guy that turned you over. He's a dirty little slime ball. How can you trust somebody like that?"

"…I don't know." Kouichi smiled again, this time almost cryptically. "I rather like him."

Nobody really knew what to say to that.

The train let out a loud whistle. Izumi, the nearest to the window, pressed her hand against the glass to look out. "We're almost there. Look, there's platform and…"

She stopped suddenly with a sudden gasp. The group, still somewhat on edge after the stressful end to the year, was instantly on alert. "What is it?" Junpei insisted, his body tense.

"It's…our parents!" Izumi practically shrieked, clapping her hands together happily. "_Papa_ and everyone! Kenkyo-sensei brought our parents!"

The Transfers were immediately on their feet, rushing over to crowd around the window with various exclamations of shock and joy. Once again, Harry had the interesting sensation of empathy in an area he shouldn't know anything about. Japan was thousands of miles away, and eight months _was_ a long time to be away from loving family. He didn't blame them for being homesick.

When the train pulled to a stop, Izumi was the first one off, right into the arms of her waiting father with a joyously accented cry of _"Papa!"_ The tall, blonde man swept her up into his arms and spun her around, chattering happily in Italian.

"Onii-san!" A slightly high-pitched voice rang out as Takuya jumped off the train. A smaller brown-haired boy collided with the goggle-head's chest, hugging him tightly around the waist.

"Hey, Shinya!" Takuya drew in a sharp breath as the air was knocked from his lungs, then laughed and wrapped his arms around his brother, a few moments before Mrs. Kanbara bustled over and enveloped them both in a crushing hug.

Harry jumped off the train with his friends, surveying the scene with curious, almost jealous eyes. Junpei's parents fussed over him constantly, his father mentioning off-hand that he seamed to have lost a healthy amount of weight. Tomoki was introducing Ginny to his parents, blushing hotly as he did, his cheeks erupting into flame when the red-haired girl planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"Boys!" Harry turned slightly as an older woman with slightly graying bluish-black hair raced forward.

"Mom!"

"Mother…"

The simultaneous gasps were barely heard as Ms. Kimura took a twin in each arm, pulling them close with a deep, exuberated breath. "Oh, boys, I've missed you so much…" The woman sighed happily, nuzzling into Kouichi's hair before letting go. "My goodness, you've both gotten so tall! And Kouichi, what have you been doing to your hair? It's so long, I can hardly tell you apart any more!"

And despite himself, Harry smiled.

"Hey, Harry!"

He turned away from the touching scene to find a crowd of familiar faces waiting for him. His smile widened as Mrs. Weasley greeted him with a hug and a big, warm smile. Fred and George thumped him on the back at the same time, nearly knocking him over, and Mr. Weasley was there with a hearty, welcoming handshake and a small whisper. "Your friends don't have to worry about the Ministry. Dumbledore worked them over good."

Harry's grin got even wider, even as a sinking feeling appeared in the pit of his stomach as the Weasley twins began dragging his trunk back towards the platform entrance. Another 'interesting summer' at Number 4, Privet Drive…

"Potter."

He turned. Kouji had broken away from his mother and brother and had come up to him, hands slipped unemotionally into his pocket. Harry turned to face him, dimming his smile out of manners. "Yeah?"

"…Thanks." Kouji muttered, shifting his gaze away and shuffling his feet as though unused to this. "For…your help back there."

Harry grinned again, showing his teeth this time. "Any time."

_"Oi, Potaa!"_

Harry looked around Kouji at Takuya's untranslated, heavily accented voice. The brunette was waving, still partially hidden in his mother's hug, though the inactive Translation Charm was still in his ear. _"Ja, mata ne!"_

Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at Kouji. "What did he say?"

"'See you around.'" Kouji smirked, shaking his head and extending his hand somewhat hesitantly.

Harry's grin stretched almost to its breaking point as he gripped the transfer's hand. "Yeah. I guess we will."

****

The End

Izumi is, of course, speaking and referring to her father in Italian. I'm not sure if this was clear or not, but I sure hope so.

Okay, so this is…the end. Yup, the very last chapter of _Harry Potter and the Digimon Frontier_, easily my most popular story ever. I'd like to thank everybody who kept with me through the whole year or so it took me to write this, even the ones who chased me with torches and pitchforks when I put Kouichi into Slytherin. Just don't it again, okay? See, it worked out just fine!

No, I didn't work with Defense much. I was never planning to. I just didn't think it was extremely important, I only threw Tonks in because they needed a new one and I wanted to enjoy myself a bit. I guess I could've done a little more if I'd put Hakaishi-sensei in her place, but oh well.

Oh, and if I get any more messages saying: "Aw, it's over so soon?" I am sending some very rapid and hungry hyenas to pay you a visit. This is one story that I didn't think was ever going to end. It's been fun, but it's been forever. I need to move on to other stories…

…Like that short (very short) sequel I might be doing…I got a great idea after reading _The Half Blood Prince_…Uh, that is…Oh man, not the pitchforks again…


End file.
